Can You Keep A Secret?
by Aminatsu032
Summary: I, Mikan Sakura, has never told a secret in my whole life - well until an alarming situation triggers my mouth, causing me to spill every little dirt to a total stranger! Well, he WAS a stranger...before I actually found out he was my BOSS! OH, GREAT. MxN
1. Secrets

**EDITED:** 12/29/11 courtesy of lookintomyeyes' red ink

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Yeah, um...this is pretty much what's in my mind lately. I couldn't stop thinking about it so I started writing it. Although, I was pretty concerned on what would happen if I publish this...because, as you know, when I get inspired with a story, I end up writing it and forgetting what will happen to my _other_ fan fictions. Right now, my first priority is Turn the Music Up. So if my head continues to tell me to continue this, it might take long before I could update TTMU. Anyway, enjoy the first chapter. This is based on the book "Can You Keep A Secret?". Please tell me what you think. ;)

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**_Written by: Aminatsu032_

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_I told myself that I would only tell every little thing about me to the person whom I decide to share my life with. I didn't expect to blurt them out to a total stranger at all! Well, he WAS a stranger - before I actually found out he was MY boss._

_Oh, God, please don't make this harder for me now!_

_I heard the door being opened in Room 460. Out of curiosity, I turned to see who my neighbor was. _

_Black hair? Red eyes? Darn it again, I spoke too soon._

**I. SECRETS**

I'm Mikan Sakura, eighteen years-old. Today, I will start living alone in Tokyo. It's not actually certain if I'll be staying there for long, because I haven't been accepted, but I also didn't expect that there would come a time when I would live alone and work – thinking I only graduated recently. I, one day received a letter telling me that with my standards, I could qualify to work at the BIGGEST company in all of Japan – _Flame Corporation_.

"You take care now, Mikan-chan!" I heard my mother say behind me. It was probably the fiftieth time she said it. I turned around again, waving and smiling at her.

Behind her, was my grandfather. With his energy, you wouldn't believe he was 84!

I waved for the last time, before I entered the waiting area. This was it: my first taste of freedom.

My heart thumped faster. I have never been in a big city nor rode a class-A plane in my whole life! Yep, you read that right. Enclosed with the letter was a plane ticket to a new airline.

Ever since I was a child, I have been known for keeping secrets. I have never said any of them to anyone else. Some say it's self-control, but I believe it's because I'm not much of a blabber-mouth like everybody else. In addition of never letting go of a secret told to me, I have also never told anyone a secret _about_ me. Even my best friend doesn't know something that might embarrass me. I only plan on sharing my secrets with the person whom I will marry someday.

"_Flight 114 to Tokyo, now boarding."_ That's my cue.

I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and gave it to the person putting the large bags in the compartment. Carrying only my hand bag, I stepped inside the plane.

"Woah," I muttered in amusement. Now, come to think of it, it was my first time riding a plane.

I glanced at my ticket. It said 23 A. I searched until I find my place. Good, I think. It was a window seat after all.

The whole time, while I was waiting for the plane to board, I leafed through the magazine in front of me. I didn't quite take notice of the person who was sitting beside me at that time. I couldn't care less anyway, I was more excited about flying.

TEE-HEE. Flying … with the tweety birds in the sky~!

I felt a smile creep up my face in amusement. I was really going to fly – in a plane! Who knows? Maybe I'll see where Santa Claus lives from up there! (That's in the North Pole, dummy. You're in Japan.)

I looked around. It was the first time I saw _his _face.

Beside me was a boy, about my age. He had midnight-black hair and attractive red eyes. My eyes widened in shock. It was my first time seeing such beauty that could only be seen in fairy tales. I felt my heart beat faster and I wouldn't have been able to stop staring at him if it wasn't for the flight attendant who was demonstrating what to do in case of accidents, etc. I had to listen since, after all, _it_ was my first time.

The flight turned out to be a breeze. Half the time, I was staring outside the window and half of it, I stared at the guy beside me. Gosh, he was hot! I hope I bump into him in the streets of Tokyo someday.

I was about to drift to sleep when suddenly, I felt shaking.

Wait, was that supposed to happen?

I looked around me and that's when my hearing triggered.

I heard shrieks and cries everywhere. My heart skipped a beat. Oh no. Don't tell me this plane was crashing and I was gonna die. Just like in titanic with a floating iceberg or something. Oh God, oh God, oh God. Don't let it happen! Please don't let me die yet!

The shaking began again. Almost immediately, I heard screams from everywhere. My heart began pumping faster and faster. The shaking stops.

I look around. My sight becomes so blurry that I almost felt dizzy. This wasn't how I expected my first flight to turn out!

The plane, in a moment, was shaking yet again. I bit my lip, as I waited for it to stop.

_Waiting._

_Waiting._

_Waiting._

I gasped. It didn't stop! It's not stopping! It's still shaking!

People were screaming everywhere. I looked around saw their scared faces. Heck, they were as scared as me! The screams grew louder and louder. The cries went into my brain. Was I gonna die? Was this the end? Oh, at least I get to die with a cute guy beside me.

I slowly turned my head. My hazel eyes widened. HE IWASN'T THERE! HE WAS THERE A MOMENT AGO AND – POOF! HE BECAME K**OKOCRUNCH**!

I became more and more frantic as the seconds passed by. "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die," I kept repeating to myself. There was no use for being optimistic now! I was really gonna die!

"Miss –"

"No, but I can't die! I still have a lot of things I want to do in life! I want to direct a movie! I want to own a mansion with a huge pool and prove to that Sumire-slut that I'm better than her! I want to discover a planet! I want to change my name to Cinderella! I want to prove that tooth fairies really exist!"

"Miss –"

"I want to save the planet with Stitch! I want to have a website with the tag line 'iMikan'! I want to train ninja skills with Kakashi-sensei! Once, there was a boy in my class named Takato who's so damn hot! I suddenly start vomiting whenever I eat strawberries! I have never worn a bikini! My neighbor is NOT a virgin!"

"Miss –"

"Heck, why did this day become _such_ a disaster! And to think I wore my lucky polka-dotted panties today! And that guy beside me didn't look at me even once! And to think I was already in love with him!"

"Miss –"

"I can't believe I already …" I suddenly trailed off. Did somebody say "Miss"?

I turned my head, more slowly than before. My mouth opened in shock. Before me was the guy whom I was sitting with a while ago. But I thought he was gone? How could HE come back HERE?

"The plane has landed," he said with his smirking face.

"Landed?" I echoed. I heard my voice break at the end.

He nodded. Before he turned around, ready to leave, I spoke. I just _had _to ask him, didn't I?

"Wait," I said. Gulp. "How long have you been there?"

He smirked again, his red eyes stared right at me. "Since you started chanting you were gonna die."

I breathed in. I didn't even care about exhaling after that. Since I started chanting I was gonna die? That's like – THE BEGINNING!

I kept holding my breath until he left. He was there? He heard EVERYTHING?

"Miss, all passengers should have been gone by now," said one of the flight attendants.

I just nodded, dazed.

"We're very sorry for the inconvenience," she continued.

I got my bag and stood up. "What happened anyway?"

"The captain fell asleep. That nice young man who just left landed the plane," she answered.

I felt my gaze at the plane door. _He_ drove the plane? So that's why he was suddenly gone! Then if he heard starting from the beginning … then the plane had already landed BEFORE I STARTED BLURTING OUT THOSE THINGS?

I put my hands on my mouth. Oh no, oh no, oh no! If only I kept my mouth shut the whole time!

_Shit!_

I zoomed outside the plane, got my luggage and called for a cab.

"Alice Hotel," I told the driver as he nods. Slowly, I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. Oh no! What if I meet him again? – I shake my head to shake the thought off – No! Of course I won't! Tokyo is a big city, right? We _couldn't _meet again – unless he's stalking me, which would never happen!

When the cab stopped, I paid and got out. I looked at the building. Gosh, it was big. No freaking _way_ I was going to find him here.

I go to the receptionist. "Room 459," I said.

"Please enjoy your stay," the receptionist said, handing over the key.

"Thank you," I mumbled as the attendant takes my luggage. I guess that was a double 'thank you'.

"To what room?" he asked.

"459," I answered. He nodded as I went on my way to the elevator.

When I got there, my luggage was already in the room. I looked around. There was a bed, sofa, TV, dresser, and even a mini-kitchen! Talk about luxurious!

I ran to the bed and laughed. IT BOUNCES! Well, this oughtta keep my mind busy so that I can avoid thinking about the _incident_ a while ago.

I immediately got up when I heard a knock on my door.

"Hello," a woman, about '5"6 tall with green hair and purple eyes stood in front of me. "You must be Sakura Mikan, are you not?"

"Um...yes." Woah, why does this woman know my name? Is she some kind of stalker, or something?

"I'm Mitsumi Yakako, from Flame." Okay, so _that's _why.

"Ah. Come in," I said as I opened the door for her.

"Oh – no need to! You need some rest after your flight," she said, waving her hand frantically in front of her. "I was just asked to check on you."

I smiled. Somehow, I think, this made her less nervous. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she smiled back. "You rest today and tomorrow I'll be touring you around the company."

Before she turned around, I locked the door. "Let me walk you to the elevator."

Yakako nodded and smiled.

"So, what will my job be?" I asked.

"Hm...that depends," said Yakako. "The president will be the one to decide on it after he checks out your performance tomorrow."

"Oh, I see," I said. Aw...and I was so excited, too.

"But I guess it's high-ranked since you got qualified at a young age," she added.

That actually made me happy. "Thank you," I said.

What happened after that was a bomb. Right after I heard the elevator go 'ting' (?), the elevator doors opened and before me was the person I least expected to see. It was HIM! It was the guy from the plane!

I was going on in my mind about whether I was going to ignore him or not, when he said something to me.

"Oi, it's polka-dots." THAT'S IT. HE CANNOT BE IGNORED.

"_POLKA-DOTS_? I have a _name_, you stupid PERVERT!" I shot. "And what are you doing here, anyway? Don't tell me you're STALKING me! I could sue you for this, you kn –"

I was supposed to go on with the suing idea when I felt a hand on my mouth. It was then I noticed everyone looking at us.

"S-s-s-sorry, Sir," she stammered. _Sir_? Why is Yakako calling this guy _'sir'_? "I think she must've mistaken you for somebody else."

"Mikan-san," she said, this time, to me, "This is Natsume Hyuuga – the president of Flame."

My eyes widened in shock. _He_, this perverted, eavesdropping, smirking, egomaniac, was my BOSS?

When Yakako released me, she immediately bowed in respect and dashed inside of the elevator. I was still standing on my place, weighing the consequences. If I apologize now, he would just make fun of me – but if a _run_, he might probably forgive me right? After all, I didn't actually _know_!

I looked at his smirking face once more. Darn it, he looks so amused! That's it! I RUN!

I stopped dashing when I reached my room. I stop in front to think, while slipping my hand in my pocket for the keys

I told myself that I would only tell every little thing about me to the person whom I decide to share my life with. I didn't expect to blurt them out to a total stranger at all! Well, he WAS a stranger - before I actually found out he was MY boss.

Oh, God, please don't make this harder for me now!

I heard the door being opened in Room 460. Out of curiosity, I turned to see who my neighbor was.

Black hair? Red eyes? Darn it again, I spoke too soon.

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**Mikan: **– I've always wanted to make fan fictions with the penname HANNAH BANANA! My aunt gave me a cat once and it died, but I never told her; whenever she asks, I say she's doing good! One of my classmates say she's doing belly dancing and I'm utterly disgusted! I want to have my Moe Kare! I thought Pokémon were real! I'm a retard! I go on and on about something and do not stop unless I want to! I dreamed of making an ice cream candy! –

(After 7 hours...)

**Mikan: – **I thought Hotaru was a guy; I actually screamed when I first saw her! I still hope that Santa gives me presents! –

**Natsume: **That's it, I give up. (Walks away...)

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**LOOK HERE. See that?**

**!  
V**


	2. Flame

**EDITED:** 11/30/11

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WA-HA-HA! Yeah, one of the reviewers noted that this fic isn't getting much reviews. I don't blame the people. Publishing this fic on a WEDNESDAY was a pretty baaaad idea! LOL! But, what can I say? I'm on fire, babyyyy! So, I've decided, I will be updating this until the fifth chapter and that's it – END! Yep, you read that right. This story consists of only five chapters! Hahaha... (Voice fades away...)

Anyway, thanks for all the people who reviewed: **marvic31, Anonymous~ **(_YEAH~ YEAH~ YEAH! It does, does it? XD_), **smalltaz, Murasaki Ai** (_Yup, alright! But I look for your name in the reviews, but I can't seem to find it...or maybe I'm just blind... 8D_), **chrisca123456789** (_AW. Thank you. That made my day! Haha!_), **pinkblossom13, Lost Wingz, '-MiNi-RAi-', karenangelica09, Moonlightnin.**

BY THE WAY, IF YOU EVER, EVER TRY TO COPY THIS FIC, I SWEAR, I'M GONNA KILL YOU. Disclaimers disclaimed. :D

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**_Written by: Aminatsu032_

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_I know I turned down Yakako's offer, but I can't help thinking if I did the right thing or not. Oh, what the heck! It's not like the whole building is gonna be robbed in the middle the night. Now, that's just plain coincidental now, isn't it?_

_**THUD!**_

_I whirl around. That sound just came from Natsume's office, didn't it? OH MY GOD. MAYBE THIS PLACE __**IS**__ GONNA BE ROBBED!_

**II. FLAME**

My footsteps are all that could be heard in the silent morning. Darn it, I'm gonna be late! And it's all that Natsume Hyuuga-boss-guy's fault for trespassing into my cursed dream last night – or more to call it, a_ nightmare_.

There I was, eating pink cotton candy in the middle of a pretty meadow with rainbows and stuff when suddenly the sky turned dark and a voice kept repeating, "I'm gonna embarrass you to death! I'm gonna embarrass you to death! MUHAHAHAHAHA!"

With a 'ting', the elevator door opens and I quickly get in. Great, now _I_ am late on my FIRST DAY. Before I know it, that Hyuuga-boss-guy would make me janitor! What face am I going to show Mom and Jii-chan, now?

I run outside the lobby and into the busy streets of Tokyo. Flame Co. was only a walk away from the hotel; no wonder Hyuuga-boss-guy chose to stay there – and just my luck, I ended up staying at the room next to _his_!

Just when I was about to go inside of the building, the guard stops me.

"Excuse me, Miss. Now, who might you be?" he asks. His body frame makes him look pretty scary. That deep tan, too.

"Sakura Mikan," I say. "You know...um...the new guy –_ girl_?"

His face lightens up. "OH! That eighteen-year-old? Everybody was talking about you when they found out! Come in, come in!" He shoves me inside the building to the elevator.

That made me dazed. I'm so popular! When Hyuuga-boss-guy tells everyone about_ that_ encounter, I'll be the laughing stock of the season! And I wasn't wearing my lucky panties today, too!

"Mitsumi-san was looking for you," he adds. "Check out the third floor, I think she's there right now!"

He presses the elevator button for me and shoves me in again. I couldn't move away, because he's too strong for me. Freaking boss, freakish guard, freaking-out employee...what _else_, in this goddamn place, is FREAKY?

**TING!**

My eyes widens. I _had_ to ask, didn't I?

This place is _beyond_ normal. Everything is so cyber-tech, and the paint job is all family-of-red! Talk about a HOT-colored atmosphere. It makes me feel like autumn and summer are joining together for some reason – only the air-conditioning is good. Now I get why the company's name was 'Flame'.

"Hey, that new girl is here!" somebody shouts and everyone stops what they're doing.

I stand out – what am I talking about? Of COURSE I stand out! I'm wearing BLUE, for God's sake!

"Ah, Mikan-chan, you're here!" a familiar voice says. I turn my head to see it was Yakako.

"Thank goodness, you're here!" she adds. "I almost thought you wouldn't show up!"

I sweat-drop. Yeah, I was kinda debating on that myself a while ago.

"Good, now you're here, Mr. Hyuuga wants to talk to you." OH, GREAT. Just GREAT.

"Let me lead you the way," she says, escorting me to the elevator. Elevators? Yeah, I hate elevators. That's was when I saw him _again_. And come to think of it, I think have a trauma about riding air planes now.

When the elevator doors open again, we arrive on the top floor. Along the way, I'm glad Yakako didn't ask me about my reaction on seeing Hyuuga-boss-guy yesterday. That made me feel...special, understood and all.

Yakako stops walking. My heartbeat paces faster and faster as I read every word carved on a golden nameplate. I swallow.

**NATSUME HYUUGA  
president**

Yakako extends her long, slim arms, about to knock when I catch it before it made a sound.

"Wait," I say. "Are you sure he wants me? He might not want to see me after before, and all."

Yakako's emotion shifts to surprise. "Oh, I'm sure. He kept asking and asking me if you've arrived the whole time!"

I drop her hand. That wasn't good.

After three continuous knocks, Yakako opens the door. "Sir, Sakura Mikan is here to see you."

"Let her in." I shiver. His voice sounds like a thousand ice glaciers piercing directly at me. I kind of hope that the hot-colored atmosphere of this place would melt it before it could go through my skin.

Yakako pushes me forward when I didn't move and disappears behind me. Uh-oh. The ice shards didn't melt.

Natsume was sitting before me with his chin rested on his palm. This wasn't the scenario I was expecting. I thought he would be sitting behind his desk, his face dim and unlighted. Instead, he is sitting _on_ his desk, with a dart on his right hand, aiming _at_ me. Behind his desk is a HUGE glass window which showed some building tops and the sky. His body remains lighted. Oh God – HE WAS SO HOT! Though, I think those ice shards froze me to the spot.

He smirks and prepares to throw. I close my eyes...I didn't die on _that _plane, but I am going to suffer a more painful, less merciful death.

Five seconds.

My right eye openes. What? I wasn't dead yet?

I look at him, confused. But the moment his smirk grew, I knew I shouldn't have done that. I turn around and see a dart board, with the dart he was previously holding stuck at the very middle. That makes me relieved...he wasn't aiming for me after all.

"It's a small world, now, isn't it?" he asks using his cold, icy voice.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to be seeing _you_ again," I mumble under my breath. He seemed to hear – and that was GOOD.

Natsume stands up and heads to his _proper_ seat...which was so totally NOT the table!

He clasps his hands together. "Your position will be judged from how you'll be working today..." he pauses. "...polka-dots."

My jaw drops open. "MY NAME IS **NOT** POLKA-DOTS, _BOSS-GUY_!"

He raises an eyebrow. Darn his expression! He looks like he's about to laugh any second! "Boss-guy?" he echoes. "What kind of lame name is that?"

It was then I realized that name DID sound lame! CURSE YOU, STUPID RANDOM PERSON WHO IS CURRENTLY WRITING THIS STUPID RANDOM FANFICTION! Can't YOU come up with COOLER random names? (Um...yeah, sorry!)

"W-well..." I stammer. "It's only proper that I give you a compound word name, too, you know!"

Hyuuga-whatever-guy rolls his eyes. He drops the compound-word-name-calling topic when he handsme a thick envelope. And by 'thick', I meant THICK.

"What's this?" I ask, slowly taking the manila envelope from his hands.

"Copies of bank checks since last year. I want you to sort them by date and finish by this afternoon," he answers.

"AFTERNOON?" I echo. Hey, you can't blame me! This envelope is, like, fourteen inches in width!

"Well, off you go, now," he adds, ignoring my ranting. "You still have work to do."

I hold my breath while stomping outside the office to stop myself from shouting and complaining about how this was TOTALLY NOT FAIR! First, he makes _fun_ of me and _next_ he gives me a TOTALLY IMPOSSIBLE JOB!

"Well?" Yakako asks. "How did it go?"

I almost jump when I hear her voice. I thought she wasn't anywhere to be found before I got out.

I show her the thick brown envelope and she suddenly looks confused. Walking to the nearest available desk, I begin to explain to her.

"Well our _boss_," – I still have a hard time saying it – "told me to sort all these check copies by date."

Yakako seems to understand. "ALL of them?"

I nod and sit down, opening the envelope and taking out the HECK of a compilation from the rubber band. Somehow, I feel sorry for the poor rubber band who got stretched all he could to provide service for Mr. I'm-good-at-making-compound-word-nicknames-guy.

My face sours. I can't believe I thought HE was hot! Well, frankly, he IS, but he acts like a TOTAL jerk! Maybe, the reason I'm so popular is that he's already told everyone about what happened in the plain through the P.A.

"What's wrong?" Yakako asks.

I lower my head. "Everyone's looking at me," I say, playing with the rubber band absently.

Yakako laughs. "Well that's because you were accepted young!" Her face suddenly grew curious. "Were you expecting anything else?"

"No," I lie.

"And..." she continues. I stop cutting the huge pile of papers into four equal parts to listen to her. "Mr. Hyuuga hasn't had a girlfriend since he first became president two years ago. No body's ever good enough for him, I guess."

I raise an eye brow. "I don't suppose that fits in with our previous discussion."

"Oh, no, it does! We were kind of hoping..." she trails off. "...you know, both of you –"

I bang my hand on my desk – I think I know where this was leading! "NEVER GONNA HAPPEN!" I boom.

She nodds. "Yeah, um...sorry I can't help you with that," – she points at the four piles of papers – "I still have a lot to do."

"Yup, that's okay," I say, not bothering to look at her.

I already start with the first pile; sorting the year – last year and this year. With two piles of paper this time, I divide both into two again. I set aside this year so that it wouldn't mix up. Then, I sorted the months, then the days and before I knew it -

"YES! I'M DONE! I'M FINALLY DONE!" I rejoice, standing up. I half-expected that everyone would go coming to me to congratulate me for finishing sorting that stupid fourteen-inch pile, but I realize that there are only a few people left in the floor – namely those kill-joy workaholics who wouldn't care less about their surroundings.

At least ONE person goes to me to congratulate me.

"That's great, Mikan-chan," Yakako says, smiling at the sorted compilation. "Want to grab something to eat?"

When Yakako mentioned it, my stomach suddenly growled. I glance at the clock. OH MY GOD – it was FOUR? I suddenly stand up, grabbing her arm.

"Let's go," I say. My stomach was already yelling and scolding me about forgetting to eat lunch. Was it my fault I had to finish sorting that compilation before salvaging my stomach?

Yakako brought me to many different places. As I expected, Tokyo was a big and busy city. There were so many shops to choose from and we had a hard time...actually _I_ had a hard time. In the end, we went to this cute little cake shop and I ate chocolate rolls. WOAH – HEAVEN LIVED IN MY MOUTH, MAN!

After hours of walking, we finally get back to the building, and somehow, that made me realize...WHY THE HECK DIDN'T I SUBMIT THOSE COMPILATIONS WHEN I FINISHED THEM?

"Ah...Mikan-chan, anything wrong?" Yakako asks, studying my expression.

"Um...no, I just realized something," I say, forcing a laugh.

The building was nearly empty, now. I rush to the desk where I had been working at and sigh in relief – thank goodness those papers didn't fall to the ground!

**FSHHHHH! **_They...fell..._

I freeze. Oh, God, why do these things keep happening to me?

My knees fall to the floor. Why did they have to show their falling selves in front of me? Aren't these papers ever thankful that I sorted their confusing butts out?

I could only touch the fallen pile in helplessness. All those hours of sorting leading to nothing!

"Mikan, I could help you out, if you want," Yakako offers, patting my back.

I shake my head in reply as I compile them together randomly. "I'll be alright. I guess I'll just have to explain to –" I snicker. "– HYUUGA what happened and hope he accepts it."

"Are you sure? You could need some h –"

"No, no! I'll be perfectly fine," I interrupt, signaling her to go away. WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, MIKAN? OF COURSE YOU **AREN'T** GOING TO BE FINE!

I stand up and place the randomly compiled compilation at the desk. I guess I'd better tell Hyuuga-who-gives-tons-of-stuff-to-sort-guy what happened.

I knock trice at his door and hear a soft, "Come in" from inside. Tch. He probably didn't think it was me.

I open the door and there he sat, on his chair, typing on his high-tech laptop. For a moment there, I actually forgot that I was mad at him.

"What's up?" he finally says, not even bothering to look at me. It seems like he's very busy with his laptop. But really, though, I don't blame him. THE LAPTOP LOOKED SO GORGEOUS! Seriously, I've always wanted to own a laptop.

"I..." I start. "Well, I've finished sorting the checks –"

Natsume suddenly look at me and extended his hand. "Well? Where are they?"

I avert my gaze. "They..." – I pause, looking for the right phrase – "...kinda fell down?"

At that moment, I almost thought I saw Hyuuga-guy smile! I didn't see his face clearly, though, because the only light that can be seen in the room was Darn it, he must've put a string and pulled it when I arrived! _Ssssneakyyy..._

"So, you really want the job for the janitress, huh?" he teases.

He wasn't really going to give me that job, was he? _Well_, stupid random fan fiction author, WAS HE? (Dunno. :D)

"OF COURSE NOT!"

"I thought so," he says in a cool and calm manner. "You can still have until midnight."

I fall dumbfounded. Midnight?

"You..." I mumble, "...aren't going to leave until midnight?"

Natsume gets back to typing on his laptop when he answers me. "No," he simply says.

That time, I didn't know what suddenly came to me. My heart started beating like crazy and I didn't know why. It was either out of pity or the way he looked when he said it.

I nod while taking a few steps backward and leaving the room. While I shut the door behind me, I feel myself blushing. I head back to my desk, sorting the checks absentmindedly.

I know I turned down Yakako's offer, but I couldn't help thinking if I did the right thing or not. Oh, what the heck! It's not like the whole building is gonna be robbed in the middle the night. Now, that's just plain stupid now, is it?

**THUD!**

I whirl around. That sound just came from Natsume's office, didn't it? OH MY GOD. MAYBE THIS PLACE **IS** GONNA BE ROBBED!

"Oh no, Hyuuga-boss-guy, Hyuuga-boss-guy, Hyuuga-boss-guy," I kept repeating in my mind as I run to his office.

"HYUUGA-BOSS-GUY!" I shout, banging open the door and the most disturbing sight welcomed me –

MY PRECIOUS LAPTOP WAS ON THE FLOOR! Oh, and after all those moments we've been together...

I crouch to it, before Natsume did. He seems to move slower than usual...well, not since I met him. Like that time on the plane, he was actually alert back then.

"How could you drop this? It's expensive!" Well, I assume it was.

"It was just given to me," he says. By that time, he had already crouch to the floor beside me, but did not bother to caress the fallen laptop like I did. Oh, poor, poor laptop. Somehow, his sky-blue color was talking to me saying, "Oh, I'm glad you care for me, unlike my master!"

"Polka-dots." Yeah, that was enough to get me out of my trance.

"What was that?" I shoot at him.

He actually didn't seem affected one bit! Maybe I should practice growling next time. "Stop it with that 'Hyuuga-boss-guy'," he say. "It's annoying."

I twitch. INSENSITIVE JERK! "Well you think I enjoy being called 'polka-dots'?"

I was about to talk about him being rude and all, when I feel heavy force at my shoulder. Now, that can't be gravity, can it?

I sniff. _Shampoo_?

I slowly turn my head only to find his jet black hair at my shoulder. He was LEANING at me?

"Wait, wha –" I try to push his head away, but he was heavy. "What do you think you're do –"

"...ing?" And that's when I realize: he's burning with fever.

* * *

"Seriously, I don't GET why I'm doing this," I mutter to myself as I squeeze the excess water off the white hand towel I was holding. "And I even asked HELP from that freakish guard to my BOSS in here."

I fold the towel in half and placed it at Natsume's forehead. I had no idea what his exact temperature was, but I know he had very high fever. It took merely 5 minutes for the towel to dry up again...maybe I should just pour ice-cold water at his forehead to change his temperature.

I grunt. Darn it, I should be sleeping in MY bed, instead of HIM.

Yup, you read THAT right. Since I couldn't find his hotel keys anywhere, I had no choice but to let him rest here. And I even tried talking to that half-asleep key-keeper-person._ "Um...hello. Could I have the room keys for four-sixty?" I asked, pointing at the portion of the corkboard the bold numbers __**460**__._

"_Huh? No, I don't have Colgate three-sixty, why do you ask?" she just mumbled sleepily._

STUPID KEEPER.

I give the hand towel another squeeze after soaking it in cold water. I fold it again and place it in his forehead.

Hmpf! STUPID FREELOADER. I bet he ain't gonna thank me for this when he wakes up.

I stare at him for a moment. When he's sleeping like this...he doesn't look so bad. Just sleeping peacefully. If it wasn't for his exhausted expression, he would actually look like an angel.

I remove the towel again to touch his forehead. Good, his fever has gone down.

I soak it again and squeeze it to put in his forehead. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning and I haven't gotten any sleep. I suddenly feel my eyelids become heavy. I lean my head on one part of the bed. It wouldn't hurt to close my eyes for a moment, right?

* * *

I flap my eyes open. Darn, I fell asleep?

I straighten my back to look at the guy sleeping on my bed. WOAH! WHAT A HEAVY SLEEPER!

I touch his cheek and sigh. Good, he was all better.

I was about to stand up to prepare something to eat when I felt a strong hand grab my wrist.

"Did I wake you?" I ask, though it was pretty obvious.

He was silent for a while, but then he finally spoke.

"Thank you," he says. I was suddenly surprised. I didn't expect him to thank me! I actually thought he wasn't going to.

Natsume carefully sits up. And I have this weird feeling, again, that I was blushing. After all, he was STILL holding my_ hand_... (Your wrist, actually.)

"Technically, you're late again," he notes.

"WHAT? _You're _late, too!"

"No. I asked for a leave today." So THAT'S why he was staying up until twelve.

"Anyway..." I say, after a long silence. "What would my job be?"

Natsume looks at me with those ruby eyes. "You failed to sort those checks, didn't you?"

"WELL, THAT'S NOT **MY** FAULT NOW, IS IT?" I boom, pointing an accusing finger at him. Seriously, how insensitive can this guy get?

"Well, I assume you can become..." he pauses; I grinn THIS IS SO NOT THE JANITOR'S JOB! "...my secretary."

Everything around me suddenly became shades gray. "Your...secretary?" I echo.

GREAT, now I'm going to get a whole heck of a job around HIM.

"Another anyway..." I say after cursing in my thoughts. "...my hand." I point below.

Natsume releases me, but smirkes. "You liked it, didn't you?"

"WHAT? OF COURSE I DIDN'T!"

_Okay, maybe I did...but just a little._

* * *

(Mikan rants about stupid random fan fiction author.)

**Mikan: **Seriously, she ought to think of better nicknames! And what the heck – why did she have to write about my polka-dotted panties secret and about how I think Natsume is HOT? GOSH, I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE HER! I'd actually rather be in Turn the Music Up, instead! Why the heck am I not in there, anyway?

(After 7 hours...)

**Mikan: – **and being Natsume's SECRETARY? How much more unimaginative can she get?

**Natsume:** Tch. Stupid idiot. Who is she talking to? (Walks away...)

* * *

**HEY. Down there.**

**!  
V**


	3. Judgement

Okay, so just to let you know, I did not copy the plot of this fic from other fics here in . This is just _loosely _based on Sophie Kinsella's "Can You Keep A Secret?" and I do _everything _to make it **original**. Well then, here's another update over hereee~ please enjoy. :D

Thank you for those who reviewed the previous chapter – **Anonymous~, XxX NaTsUmE x MikAn XxX, coldheart31, xxxkawaiixxx, Valyruie, blossomria, Moonlightnin, Lost Wingz, Yanani, Yellow Knight, mangaxgirl, obsessed-fic-fan2, Marese, candice, pinkblossom13, bLoOd Lover 14**

I'M DISCLAIMING. xD

**.xx.**

**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**_Written by: Aminatsu032_

**.xx.**

_My eyes blur in the darkness. What did he want to say? That my childhood friend was no one to be trusted? And to think he said he didn't care! That insensitive jerk!_

_I stopped running as the image of his eyes was brought back into my mind. His unusual eye-color which always caught my interest hated me._

_Just then, I heard footsteps from behind me. I turn around, assuming it was Natsume, when a handkerchief covered my mouth. And then everything went black – the only thing that was ringing in my mind was the hope that somebody saw and came to my rescue, right away._

**.xx.**

**iii : JUDGEMENT**

"Good morning, Mikan!"

"Good morning," I say, without turning my head to who ever it was greeting me at that time. God, this morning was such a hassle!

I enter Natsume's office without bothering to knock, holding a cup of hot coffee in my hands. I walked swiftly to my table and placed the cup, before I break it with my clumsy hands.

"Here's your coffee," – I twitched – "..._Sir_."

Natsume, who seemed to be amused whenever he sees it was difficult for me to address him with respect, just smirked. It was about a week before I started working at Flame, the biggest and longest-running company in all of Japan. Though, I wouldn't consider to ever being lucky to work here since I ended up being _his_ secretary. And by 'his', I mean Hyuuga Natsume, the manager of the Tokyo branch and the president of all Flame Corporation branches.

"Is there anything else I could get you?" I said halfheartedly, turning my back to him.

"No, there isn't," he said as I heard papers flipping from behind me.

I rolled my auburn eyes as I walked out of his office, sighing.

"Looks like you haven't gotten along with him, have you?" Yakako noted.

"You can tell?" I said sarcastically.

"Haven't you _really_?" said Misaki Harada, one of my seniors. "I heard from Guard-san that he slept in your room!"

I opened my mouth to object, but all the people who heard shot me with bemused expressions murmuring to each other how Sakura Mikan had been fast and all.

I just groaned, ignoring them. Stupid people, I knew what they were thinking! Stupid guard, stupid boss! EVERYTHING in the world seems to be stupid, since nobody is ever INTELLIGENT enough to figure out that I would _never_ be caught with THE DOING with HIM!

I sat at my desk, which was outside his office and stared into space blankly.

"Do you know about the people managing the other branches?" I turned to Yakako, changing the annoying topic.

"Oh, YES! Two of them about the same age as you and Mr. Hyuuga!" Misaki-senpai said, smiling at me.

Yakako nudged her and answered me. "Managing the Kyoto branch is Nogi Ruka and with the Okinawa branch is Imai Hotaru. Both of them are as far as we know, since they're both pretty close to Mr. Hyuuga's age."

I turn my head to Natsume's office and noticed somebody coming in.

"At first we thought Imai-san might be his girlfriend..." Yakako trailed off.

"...but it looks as if fate was waiting for you after all!" Misaki-senpai whispered to my ear.

I shook my head. "Oh, shut up," I murmured. I was suddenly surprised when his face went into my mind.

"_You liked it, didn't you?"_

I felt all the blood rush into my face. OH, SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! WHY DO YOU KEEP ON POPPING INTO MY MIND LIKE THAT?!

"Um...Sakura-san."

I turn my head immediately. "I SAID SHUT UP!"

My eyes widened at my sudden reaction. Before me was the terrified office mate that just came from Natsume's office.

"S-s-sorry," he stammered. "M-Mr. Hyuuga wanted t-to t-t-t-talk to you..." Upon that, he ran off.

Misaki whistled from behind me. "`Atta go, Girl!"

I glare at her disapprovingly before standing up and entering twisting the knob of his door.

"What is it?" I asked, almost forgetting I had to treat him all high-and-mighty.

"Who were you trying to shut up?" he asked, not bothering to look at me.

"You," I murmured. Apparently, he heard.

Natsume raised his head at me, his eyebrows raised. "Really?" he said sarcastically.

"So, what did you call me here for?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to see you," he said flatly, going back to his work.

That was it; my thin-thread-of-a-temper got cut off – _again_.

"Look, you have to _stop _that! Calling me here without a particular reason! That's...that's...." – I paused – "...CRAZY! My dream guy is SO NOT YOU!"

He looked at me again, his chin resting on his palm. It was then I realized what I just said. God, I have to stop forgetting he's my _boss_!

"Nagger." Okay, forget it if he's my freaking boss!

I twitched. "_What_?"

"Your dream guy will not stand a minute close with you if you keep nagging like that," he said as-a-matter-of-factly, still not getting his eyes off of me.

"Wha – Wh – I _do not_ nag!" I said as calmly as I could.

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

My patience kept breaking and breaking. Goddamn it! I DO NOT NAG! Alright, maybe sometimes, I do, but what he said was RUDE! I can't believe I was just actually _thinking_ of him, back then! I take back everything I said! I didn't like how he held my hand at that time AT ALL!

"W-well..." I said, composing myself. "...I better get going."

I was about to twist the knob open when I heard him call from behind me.

"Wait," he said. Great, _now_ was he going to apologize?

"Come here," he said.

I whirl around, dumbfounded at his smirk that stung me to the core.

"Come here," he repeated, his expression unchanging. Darn it, I hated it when I find my self lost in anger and he seems to be amused greater and greater!

I breathed a few times to control my boiling blood before I came closer to his desk.

"Yes?" I said to him.

He sat straight and took something out from his drawer. He handed to me a dart.

I examined the long, pen-like object in my hands. I was about to ask him, what to do with it, when he pointed behind me.

I turn around…it was the dart board from before.

"You want me to…throw?" I asked him, reassuring.

He smirked. "Obviously."

I look at him confusingly. What exactly was the relevance from all these?

He rolled his blood-red eyes. "Just throw."

My eyebrows creased together. Confused as I was, I threw the dart into the dartboard. It landed on the inner ring at seventeen.

Natsume sat back. "Well done," he said.

I look back at the dart board. "I don't get it."

He got back to his paperwork before he answered me. "That guy who just came in was trying to get me to decide whether we should have a trip or a party. Double ring and outer ring is trip and triple ring, inner ring, bull and bull's eye is party."

I thought about it for a while. He had _me_ deciding what to do?

He took a thin strip of paper and scribbled some numbers unto it.

"Call this," – he handed me the paper – "Katsuya Takato. Tell him the party's decided this Saturday."

I stare at the paper. "A-alright," I say as I head out of the room.

I head back to my desk. I felt my cheeks burn for some strange reason. Darn it! One moment he gets me all angry and then the next he...well, he...

"ARGH!" I yell in irritation as I furiously pressed the numbers into the telephone.

After a few rings and a lady answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Um…yes," I started, calming down. "May I speak to Mr. Katsuya Takato, please?"

"Oh." The woman sounded disappointed. She was probably expecting someone else. "Hold on," she said.

I tapped my fingers quietly at my wooden desk until a low, hoarse voice answered the phone. I grinned. He sounded like he was dragged out of bed.

"This is Sakura Mikan from Flame Co. President Hyuuga told me to give you a message."

There was a short pause after that. "Uh…yes! Na-Natsume? Yeah…looks like he decided –" he paused again. "Wait, Mikan? Sakura Mikan?"

"Y-yes, I _am_ Sakura Mikan, b –" I gasped in shock. Of _course_! Katsuya **Takato** – my classmate in high school! Goddamn it! He was _the_ GUY I was head over heels in love with! "TAKATO?"

Right then I heard the door open beside me, with Natsume looking at me with one of his eye brows raised. I smirked inwardly. _Heh! Now get this!_ I shifted my voice to one of those flirty types. "Ta_kato_! Oh my God, I never knew you were somewhere in Tokyo!"

Natsume rolled his eyes and leaned at his office door, his arms crossed at his chest.

"Yeah, you know, working for Flame. You are, too?"

"Yup! I'm Mr. Hyuuga's secretary. I've really missed you!" I said slowly and clearly for Natsume to hear. He tch-ed, looking annoyed.

"So is it a party or the trip?" he asked, getting into business.

"A party," I answered simply when Natsume leaned over the phone and pressed the 'loud speaker' on.

I was about to open my mouth to say something when Takato said something on the other line.

"How about we go together?" I felt Natsume stiffen beside me while everybody in the floor who heard turned their bodies into our direction. Lord, save me. If I go gaga right this moment, I wouldn't know what would happen next.

Everybody, except Natsume, leaned closer to get better hearing experience.

"Well?" Takato said, finally, after the long silence.

"Um…" I began.

"Um…?" the people echoed.

"Well, alright – 'kaythanksbye!" I stammered ending the call.

I inhaled and held my breath.

"So that's who you were referring to in that plane," Natsume murmured.

"A-_and_?" I said, averting my gaze. "I can go to that party with whoever person I want."

"And I didn't say anything against it," he said flatly as he entered his office again.

When the door slammed shut, everybody groaned or tsk-ed. Bloody hell, oh, bloody hell, tell me I didn't just pick a fight with Hyuuga Natsume.

**-xx**

"He sounded angry to me," Misaki-senpai said, sitting at my right.

"Mikan, you made him jealous," Yakako added, sitting at my left.

"O-oh, come on! It's not like he's not going to talk to me from now on, will he?" I said in a small voice. I didn't actually _care_ if he didn't talk to me AT ALL. No, I didn't. I didn't, I swear!

Both my companions shrugged.

" – But that was a good step!" Misaki-senpai suddenly noted.

I sniffed. "It was?"

"Well…" – Senpai paused – "…to get him jealous is a good thing, right?"

I groaned. "At first I was doing it for fun! I didn't know Takato would actually _ask_ me!" Oh how amusing how the turn of events turn out!

Misaki-senpai stood up and gave me a playful punch in my arms. She grinned. "Let's get you something to wear for the party!"

I groaned again. "No. Oh, no, no, no, no, no!"

Her grin widened. "Come ON! It'd be fun!"

My head collapsed at the desk. I seriously didn't know what definition of 'fun' she meant.

**-xx**

Saturday – the night of the party. Since that incident, Natsume hasn't said a word to me – well, official business only. With what a boss will usually make his secretary to do. I actually felt kind of guilty because for some reason, I made him mad. Maybe I DID care if he talked to me like normal…

Misaki-senpai's word echoed into my tangled brain cells again. "To get him jealous is a good thing," she repeatedly said.

I sighed before I entered the building in my red strapless satin dress. Of all the suicide-dresses Senpai made me wear, _this_ was the least suicidal. Oh, the HORROR of how high those shoes were! The HORROR of how tight those dresses clung to my poor skin!

"Hey, Mikan, are you feeling alright?" the boy with golden brown hair and midnight eyes asked beside me. "If you want, I could take you back –"

"No!" I interrupted. "You don't have to do that, I'm fine!" I faked a laugh.

I twitched at the loud music at the floor. Everybody from all Flame branches attended.

I scanned the building to search for Natsume. My eyes stopped when I saw him with a blond boy and another person who had hair as black as his. I narrowed my eyes. Is that a GUY wearing a DRESS?!

"Imai Hotaru," Takato whispered to my ear.

I almost jumped in surprise in forgetting that he was actually there. "Yeah, the Okinawa branch manager? I've heard of her."

"Let's go and grab something to drink," Takato said, pointing to the table nearby. It was almost hard to hear his voice

I smiled. "Sure." I glanced at Imai Hotaru before I followed him. My eyes widened when I saw her lavender eyes looking at me with no expression. She glanced at Takato and then back to me, slowly shaking her head.

I raised an eyebrow at her, not understanding what she meant.

I was supposed to approach her when a strong hand grabbed my wrist. "Hey – wha – ?"

"This way, Mikan," Takato's face was tilted in a way I couldn't see his face. My heart thumped faster as I felt goose bumps at my back at his touch. I glanced back at Imai Hotaru's direction and saw that her two other companions were looking at me, as well; the unnamed blond boy and Natsume.

I quickly looked away as I pulled my hand from him.

"I can walk by myself," I said dryly.

The punch table was beside where the DJ worked his music, so it was more difficult to hear than before. I saw Takato's long lady-like fingers grab the glass already prepared at the table.

With a grin, he stretched the glass to me. "Here you go," was what I vaguely heard.

I stared at the glass for a moment, feeling the goose bumps at my skin again. I had this feeling before and it only meant one thing…**danger**.

I inhaled slowly, pushing the thought aside. Why would _Takato_, of all people, bring danger to me? Inwardly, I laughed. Stupid feeling.

I was about to take the liquid-filled glass from his hands when it disappeared in front of me – and a sound of something breaking.

Almost like a cue, the music stopped, and everybody looked at our direction.

I blinked myself out of my trance when I noticed someone stood beside me, with red eyes I couldn't miss.

"Nat…sume…" I started, not knowing what I would say next. Almost instantly, his cold hand grabbed my arm. In surprise, I didn't talk when he pulled me out of the building.

"How the heck are you guys associated with pulling me all the time?!" I yelled at him.

Natsume pulled his hand back. "You shouldn't take anything he gives."

My expression twisted. "_What_?"

"It was stupid to actually go with him in the first place," he unexpectedly said. There was something with how he said the sentence that bugged me, though I was not sure what it was.

I blinked a few times, my expression questioning him. "_WHAT_?" I repeated.

I saw Natsume clench his fists as he looked away. And from the looks of it, he was angry...but I didn't care. THAT only made me angrier.

"Wha – You... – you... – wha –" I began, trying to control my fast breathing, but in the end, I couldn't. "You _said_ you didn't have ANYTHING _against_ it and now you... – now you _tell _me that I was _stupid_?! You... – H-how obnoxious could you POSSIBLY get?!" I yelled, emphasizing my words. My uneven breathing continued as I waited to what he was going to say.

His fist closed tighter, when he faced me with a straight face. "That's right."

"THEN WHY THE HECK ARE WE HAVING THIS STUPID CONVERSATION, ANYWAY?!"

Natsume finally released his anger. "I don't know!"

I stopped breathing. It was the first time I've seen him this mad, and it was scary. I froze as his blood orbs glared at mine.

I took two steps backward, breaking from his unreadable stare. That was when I decided that I would make a run for.

My eyes blur in the darkness. What did he want to say? That my childhood friend was no one to be trusted? And to think he said he didn't care! That insensitive jerk!

I stopped running as the image of his eyes was brought back into my mind. His unusual eye-color which always caught my interest hated me.

Just then, I heard footsteps from behind me. I turn around, assuming it was Natsume, when a handkerchief covered my mouth. And then everything went black – the only thing that was ringing in my mind was the hope that somebody saw and came to my rescue, right away.

**-xx**

"Mikan..."

Huh? Who's that?

"Mikan..."

Somebody's calling me.

"Mikan, wake up..."

I open my eyes slowly, as I examined the face I was looking at.

"Takato?" I murmured.

Takato smiled. "I'm glad you're awake..."

"Yeah, I –" I paused. "WOAH, I dreamed I was kidnapped!" – I laughed nervously – "I'm really glad you're h –" My eyes widened. Uh-oh, wait a minute. I scanned the place – it was a warehouse. "YOU KIDNAPPED ME!"

The boy in front of me laughed. "A round of applause for the chick, boys!" His companions laughed with him.

I crunched my nose at all of them. With Takato and me, there were seven people in the room. The five others were rather gangly looking, with piercings and clothes that looked like they were took out of trash. A dirty blond, a man with russet-colored skin, one with maroon hair that grew to his shoulders, one with a mustache, and who loosely tied his hair in a ponytail.

I struggled to move, but my hands and feet were tied up to a wooden chair.

"Oh, don't try. You're just tiring yourself," Takato said, smirking.

"Traitor," I said, through my gritting teeth.

He laughed again. "Well since you already have the energy to talk, better yet call your precious Natsume, eh?"

"What?" I said, as he took his phone out of his pocket. "You took me because you wanted Natsume to come _here_?"

Takato grinned as he pressed numbers into his mobile.

I tried to break free from the ropes again, but stopped when I realized there was no way out of this mess. Wait – maybe there _was_ a way.

"He's not coming," I began. "He won't come, it's useless."

"'Ye sure, Girlie?" one of the guys said. Looks like the odd-colored one also had an odd accent. "Accordin' to our sources, 'yer his girl." – Okay, I had to try, didn't I?

I gawked at them. "_GIRL? _ME?! NO! I'm just his..." – I paused – "..._secretary_!"

The dirty-blond opened his mouth to say something, when I heard Natsume's name escape Takato's lips.

"Mr. Hyuuga Natsume, I assume I have something of your possession," he glanced at me.

"Po_session_!" I spat.

I was suddenly surprised when he brought his phone near my face. I raised an eyebrow at him. What, he wanted me to bite it, or something?

"Say something," he mouthed.

My eyes narrowed at him. Oh, I _knew_ this tactic! When the kidnapper makes his kidnapee speak and the kidnapee says something like, "No, don't go!" and the savior goes anyway and loses his life. Alright, then. I WON'T SPEAK.

I but my lip and shook my head at him.

For the first time, Takato looked like he realized I was the wrong person to kidnap.

His blue eyes glanced at the redhead and that person nodded. Instantly, he threw something at my feet. I glanced down, my eyes bulging out at the sight.

I took a deep breath and screamed out of my lungs. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THEY THREW ME A _SNAKE_!

I heard the boys chuckle. I bit my lip again, realizing that they just beat me. I glanced down again. Wait a minute – the snake wasn't moving!

I glared at Takato, who was now talking at the phone again. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THEY THREW ME A **TOY** SNAKE!

"In an hour," I heard him say. "...be here, or else, the girl gets it."

I struggled to break free again. "Natsume!" I yelled, loud enough for my voice to reach the other line. "He's bluffing! Don't believe h –" I gulped. A knife was already positioned at my throat. "JUST DON'T GO!" I managed to add, before the cold metal touched my skin.

"One. More. Word," Pony Tail me whispered at my ear. His voice was low, husky and threatening.

Takato eyed me. "Be sure you're alone," he said, before ending the call.

Sweat trickled down my face as I held my breathing. One wrong move and there goes my throat!

I finally exhaled when the man took the sharp wedge off of me. Why does death love me so much?

"Why are you doing this?" I finally asked. Everybody turned to me. "Why do you need him to come here so badly? And you didn't even ask for money!"

Takato tsk-ed as he knelt in front of me. "His one heck of a dad," he said slowly. "...killed my father."

I pressed my lips together. "Well, it's NOT his fault!"

"So?" he chuckled as he stood up. "One person's fault is his family's fault!"

"THAT'S UBSURD!" I yelled at him, like it was a reflex action. "He did nothing wrong, and you know it! I never knew you could be such a...a..."

He raised an eyebrow. "...A?"

Uh-oh. What word? WHAT WORD?! Give me a damn WORD!!

"...A BITCH!" Oops. Wrong word.

Everyone at the warehouse laughed except the two of us.

Takato scoffed. "A bitch?" he echoed.

"'Ey, ain't that for girls?" the guy with the weird accent asked.

Mr. Mustache, who was beside him, gave him a nudge. "It IS for girls."

"TAKATO AIN'T STRAIGHT?!"

Takato opened his mouth to say something when we heard a sound by the warehouse door.

Takato smiled as he approached me and raised my chin up, allowing me to get a good look at his well-lit face. "You were wrong," he said in a volume I could only hear. His face drew near to mine. "He's here."

He stepped away, letting me see the person standing by the opening.

Natsume was looking at me, expressionless, but averted his gaze to Takato who stood beside me.

"Welcome," he said as the other five people in the room positioned themselves. "...to my humble abode."

I felt cold metal touch my throat again.

"All you have to do, Missy," said the person behind me. "...is watch."

"I hope you know that with one wrong move," Takato paused, glancing at me. "..it's the end of her."

Natsume closed his eyes for a moment, still showing no expression. "Then, what do you want me to do?" he said, his voice cold and stoic.

Takato smirked. "All you have to do," he clenched his fists in front of him. "...is to stand in the middle, with both your hands behind you."

"No," I wanted to say, but I knew my hands were tied and there was nothing else I could do. With MY wrong move, it could be the end for both of us. I looked at him, pleading that he would just go. I knew, deep down, that it was my fault and if I just listened to him, this wouldn't have happened.

Natsume walked slowly to the middle of the warehouse and did what Takato said.

The brown-haired guy smirked as he and his minions approached Natsume. Unconsciously, tears started rolling down my eyes, my lips pressed in a thin line.

Takato punched Natsume hard, and then the others followed in. As much as I knew he could fight back, he wouldn't! What the HECK was he doing?! Why was he risking everything for my goddamn sake?!

"NATSUME!" I called. "FIGHT BACK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Oh, no, he won't fight back," the guy behind me said.

I ignored whatever that person was saying and kept calling Natsume's name, but he continued to act like he couldn't hear me.

I shut my eyes tight. If there was only some way I could save him.

"Please..." I began to say. "Please let me go."

"You bet _I'm_ letting you go," somebody from behind me said, but it wasn't the person before.

I turned my head in surprise to the boy who had already started cutting the rope with the knife Takato's knocked-out minion was holding before.

My eyes widened in realization that this blond boy was the person Natsume was with at the party.

"How..." I started.

The boy pressed a finger to his lips, telling me to keep quiet. I nodded as I heard sirens coming from outside.

"Shit!" I heard Takato say.

"Takato, the police!" one of his allies said

"I know, you moron!" Takato turned to my direction. "Aki –" his blue eyes widened – "What the – ? How did you – ?"

The sirens went louder and louder as the others began to be frantic. "Takato! THE POLICE!"

Takato glared at me before signaling the others that they leave. As soon as I got free, I ran to Natsume, who crouched low to the ground. By then, I had unconsciously pulled him to my chest to an embrace.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

"I'm not yet dead, you know," Natsume silently said.

The sirens stopped as I looked at the person who was standing before me, holding a small recorder. "And if Nogi and I hadn't figured out what you were up to, you could've been," she said plainly.

"Miss Imai," I acknowledged, immediately recognizing her appearance.

"Hotaru," she corrected.

"You have to keep quiet about this incident, since we don't want anybody knowing what just happened," the blond with blue eyes told me. By then, I realized the connection of these two people to Natsume – he was Ruka Nogi, the Kyoto branch manager.

When Natsume didn't speak, I had figured he was already asleep. My arms tightened around him. "Thank you," I whispered to his ear.

I smiled inwardly. After what happened, I didn't think I would ever get mad at him again.

"You're so flat-chested." – or not.

"YOU PERVERT!"

**.CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET CHAPTER THREE /END.**

**.xx.**

**Mikan: **WHAT WORD? WHAT WORD?! GIVE ME A DAMN WORD!!!

**Faye: **(Holds up a cardboard saying, "BITCH")

**Natsume:** No, I don't think that's the right word.

**Hotaru: **Fair enough.

**Ruka: **(Nods)

**.xx.**

**Now, if you just press that button over there, I could get motivated.**

**!  
V**


	4. Conscience

Okay, wow. I have rethought about matters and it turns out, with how I want things to turn out, this fic needs to have more than five chapters, (BOO!) but probably less than ten.

Thank you for your reviews, **Moonlightnin, XxX NaTsUmE x MikAn XxX, marvic31, Lost Wingz, Yanani, blossomria, ribbons-paws, 2Lazy2MakeAnAccount, bLoOdLover14, Valyruie, '-MiNi-RAi-', theone2694**

I don't own what I don't own – XD

**

* * *

**

**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_I position my hand, ready to knock at the door, when I heard voices inside Natsume's office._

"_Ruka, are you stupid?" What? Natsume was with Ruka? I thought he went back to Kyoto! "She's just a girl," he continued. "An eighteen-year-old province girl who just got accepted because of her standards. Don't expect it to be any more than that. She doesn't mean anything to me."_

_I held my breathing. Eighteen-year-old? Province girl? That sounded like…me._

**IV: CONSCIENCE**

"Hey, Polka, are you done yet?" Natsume asked flatly as he signed his paperwork.

It has been three days since the party and Natsume's been resting at his hotel room, leaving Flame to Nogi Ruka for these past days. We have all tried to question Mr. Pony Tail to Takato's possible whereabouts, but he won't speak. It was exactly 11:37 pm and as Hyuuga Natsume's secretary, I had to help him. So far, everything had been back to normal – scratch the usual questioning of my nosy workmates. That is, until tonight.

"Yeah, I'm done," I said, handing him the pile of papers. "And stop calling me Polka!" I added.

"Sure," he murmured, not bothering to look at me.

I opened my mouth to say something, when I heard Ruka's phone ringing.

He slipped his fingers into his pocket. "Hello?" he said.

Both Natsume and I looked at him, curious at his unusual expression. After a long moment of silence, the blond boy said "Yes" silently and ended the call, looking at Natsume.

"Daddy says," he paused. "Your mother just took the flight for Tokyo."

I didn't say anything at that time, because, obviously I didn't know how urgent the situation was, but it left me wondering as I saw Natsume's composed expression twist, suddenly.

**-xx**

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEE – **I pressed my fingers at the rectangle above my digital alarm clock. Stupid noise, waking me up! I got up and prepared.

It was another busy morning at Tokyo – with the usual chattering on the streets and cars waiting for you to walk in front of them and run over you.

I walked swiftly across the pedestrian lane to the huge building of Flame.

"`Morning, Sakura-san!" the guard greeted.

I smiled at him and nodded once, not starting a conversation – because if I did, they would just ask me what happened at the night of the party.

The elevator doors opened and I met the eyes of a pink-haired girl, whom I was trying to avoid.

"Hey, Mikan-chan!" she chirped happily as I entered the elevator. "So, are you ready to tell me, yet what happened that night?"

I rolled my auburn eyes. What was I to tell her? That my goody-goody-wow-wow partner kidnapped me and lured Natsume? OH, NO. Saying that would start the scandal Ruka and Hotaru was avoiding.

"Well?" Misaki-senpai pressed. "Hyuuga-dono, you and that Katsuya-guy disappeared! And I heard that he never showed for work after that, too!"

"Nothing happened," I murmured, stepping out.

"If _nothing_ did, then why did Mr. Nogi take Hyuuga-dono's place for the past three days?" she questioned further.

I gritted my teeth at her persistence. "Because he had diarrhea!" OH, LORD. I can't believe I said that!

Misaki-senpai halted at her steps. "He did?"

I bit my lower lip. "Maybe?"

Misaki held back her laughter. "Wow! I could imagine him in the toilet and – "

"Imagine who?" Natsume said from behind her.

Misaki-senpai stood straight, still chuckling. "Nothing, S-Sir."

Natsume rolled his blood-red eyes and glared at me. "You come with me."

I nodded, fighting a smile.

"You could've said a better excuse," he said as we entered his office.

"Well, _think_ of a better excuse!" I countered, crossing my arms. When you looked at Natsume now, it didn't seem like he had been beaten up just a few days ago. It was a relief they saved his handsome face. His recovery was so fast it almost seemed he had a nine-tailed fox inside of him!

Natsume rummaged through his silver drawer and handed to me a brown folder. "Sort by surname," he simply said, sitting on his chair.

I examined the surface of the folder, deliberating on asking him or not. "Natsume," I finally said, after a long moment of pause. "What is your mother like?"

Natsume raised his head at me. Somehow, I got the feeling I shouldn't have asked. I opened my mouth to take back what I said when he answered. "Persistent."

"I'm sorry – what?" I asked, confused.

Natsume got back to his work. "She's persistent. Everything she wants, she gets. Sometimes, even threatening people to have them."

I nodded, half smiling that he answered. "Do you think she found out about what happened?"

"I don't think so," he mumbled.

I nodded as I went out of the room. Somehow, I had the feeling he wanted to avoid the topic.

**-xx**

"So?"

I rose my head to Misaki-senpai whose maroon eyes examined me carefully. "What, 'So'?" I questioned.

"_So_ how is your relationship with Hyuuga-dono working out?" she whispered, looking both ways before she spoke.

I rolled my eyes. Somehow, I knew agreeing to come along for lunch with Yakako and Senpai would lead to this. "We _don't_ have a relationship, stupid," I murmured, pitching my fork at the carrot that rolled helplessly on my plate.

"Well, it's kind of odd that you're the only person he allows to call him by his first name," Yakako said, touching my hand when she realized I was going to put what she paid for to waste.

"Then, try _calling_ him his first name; I'm sure he wouldn't mind!" I said, glancing at my wrist watch. "We should be going back now," I pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah," Misaki-senpai said, grabbing hold of her hand bag. "You're not worth interrogating, anyway."

"Yakako, thanks for the treat," I said as I stood up.

Yakako just smiled and shrugged as Misaki-senpai followed.

We were about to head to our respective desks, when we heard something from Natsume's office. Something like, "What the goddamn hell were you thinking?!"

The three of us froze. Oh, yes, that sounded like him – and he sounded mad!

I carefully leaned my head at his door.

"I'm _thinking_ this is good for you," another voice said. She sounded like a middle-aged woman.

I was about to figure out what Natsume silently said after that when a hand slapped my behind.

"Ouch!" I breathed, glaring at Misaki-senpai who violently shook her head.

I pulled my lips into a thin line, showing my palm in front of her face.

I leaned my ear again.

_Tap. Tap. Tap. _– what WAS that? I leaned harder, attempting to figure it out when the door suddenly opened.

I closed my eyes hard, expecting a fall when a pair of strong arms shoved me up. I opened my eyes to have a quick glance at the raven-haired lady who sat cross-legged at Natsume's black couch, rubbing her temple.

I was brought back to my senses when I realized I was already inside Natsume's car. He crouched at the stirring wheel, his shoulders rising and falling at his breathing.

"Are you..." I paused. "…okay?"

"No," he simply said. Something told me it was pretty obvious he wasn't.

"Who was that woman?" I asked.

"That old hag was my mother," he answered, still not moving from his position.

My eyebrows crutched together. "She doesn't look old."

"Science."

I simply nodded in the failed attempt of talking him out of this. In my mind, I deliberated whether I should continue talking impossibly or to just run away, unbothered by his unreachable aura. In the end, I decided to shut up.

"What were you doing by the door?" he asked, after a long moment of silence between us.

I bit my lower lip. "I – um…happened to pass by, when somebody pushed me?" I said sheepishly.

"Tch," Natsume said, sitting up. I was relieved when I saw that he head calmed down a bit.

I chewed on my lip, before speaking again. "What happened back there?" – Okay, maybe I shouldn't have asked that.

Natsume's expression darkened. "That one heck of a mother just agreed to a fucking engagement."

I turned my head at him. "Wait – _what_?! You're getting MARRIED?"

"I'm not! Whatever stupid thing she does next, I'm not buying!" – Okay, back to shutting up, now.

I twisted one end of my pigtails, swallowing the silence and the darkness of the parking lot. UH-OH. Wait a minute… _Darkness_?! And the two of us…_TOGETHER_?!

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU BRING ME HERE FOR?!" I yell at him, attempting to get out, only to realize the car door was locked. OH, MY PROTECTED VIRGINITY!!

Natsume annoyingly kicked my leg. "Shut up, I don't have any interest in your flatlands," he said bluntly.

I rubbed my leg. "You didn't have to kick _that_ hard!"

"Hn," Natsume said as he turned the other way. I face him to have a better view of his face. Was that a SMILE I just saw?

I grin at the possible moment as I leaned back at the car seat. "You know," I started. "I still owe you for that time. If there's anything I could do for you, I would."

Natsume's red orbs looked at me, as if questioning my decision.

I raised my eyebrow at him. "I'm SERIOUS!" I pressed.

"Well," Natsume said, with an unreadable expression. "Be my girlfriend."

I blinked twice.

NO.

FREAKING.

_WAY_!

"NATSUME HYUUGA JUST ASKED ME TO BECOME HIS _GIRLFRIEND_?!"

**-xx**

I drummed my fingers irritably at my desk. GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE DOING THIS TO ME. First, Natsume says "Be my girlfriend" and the next he says "Never mind". Well, it's not like I was _disappointed_ that he took back what he said, no, not at all! As if he meant it that _that_ anyway – I'm sure he just said that so he'd have a reason to cancel his sudden engagement. Yes, yes, that's all that matters to him!

I bury my face in my hands. "Why am I so bothered about this?" I mumble aloud. Wait a minute – why AM I so bothered about this?

I slowly stand up. Maybe if I could just talk to him a bit –

I position my hand, ready to knock at the door, when I heard voices inside Natsume's office.

"Ruka, are you stupid?" What? Natsume was with Ruka? I thought he went back to Kyoto! "She's just a girl," he continued. " – an eighteen-year-old province girl who just got accepted against my will. Don't expect it to be any more than that."

I held my breathing. Eighteen-year-old? Province girl? That sounded like…_me_.

I drop my hand. Okay, what was I thinking? I didn't know what I would say to him in the first place.

I smiled weakly, grabbing my bag and denim jacket.

"Eh, Mikan-chan!" I heard Misaki-senpai call. "Where are you going? Hey, you haven't told me what happened after you left with Hyu – "

"Maybe some other time, Senpai," I interrupt, without looking at her. "Tell Natsume I'm not feeling well. Ja!"

I went back to the hotel practically running. On my way, I heard concerned voices of my officemates, but I didn't even turn to see who they were. I didn't know if I was about to cry or just explode. What the heck – I don't understand why I'm so bothered by this.

I unlock the door and shut it behind me. Slowly, I sank to the floor. I could have sworn I felt something roll down my cheeks.

_I don't understand…why I'm so bothered by the mere fact I meant nothing to him_…

**-xx**

I banged my right foot at the floor, with Guard-san's curious gaze at me.

"Are you retarded?" he asked slowly.

"No," I faced him, my chin held high. I stomped on my way to the elevator. OOOOOH, this was it.

**OPERATION: AVOID-HYUUGA-BOSS-GUY-SO-THAT-HE-WON'T-HAVE-A-HARD-TIME-AVOIDING-ME-OPERATION!**

"Operation what?" I heard a voice beside me.

I face him, my head tilted. "I didn't say anything."

Beside me was a blond boy whose smile was an inverted triangle. He looked at me, his eyes gleaming. "Kokoro Yomi," he said, still smiling. "I can read minds!"

When I heard the elevator's bell, I immediately stepped out not caring wherever the hell floor I was. Guard-san, I'm not retarded. That freakishly inaccurate person who claims he can read minds is.

I raise my head only to have a view of the person I least wanted to see. Natsume was talking to one of the employees, his back facing me.

_Okay, back to the elevator._

I was about to press the close button on the elevator when he caught up inside.

_Okay, out of the elevator_.

I sighed when the elevator doors closed. I don't think he saw me...and that was GOOD!

"Mikan-san!" I heard someone call. I almost jumped in surprise. I turned my head to see it was Yakako.

"H-hi," I said, composing myself. "You surprised me."

Yakako laughed. "Sorry about that! I rarely see you on the fourth floor! Are you looking for Mr. Hyuuga? He was here a while ag - "

"NO!" I boomed. Yakako looked at me, her eyes bulging. "Yeah...um...I wasn't looking for him or anything...I just - ehr - got out at the wrong floor?"

"O-_oh_," Yakako murmured. "You know he looked worried for a second when Misaki-san told him you weren't feeling well."

I shrugged, waiting for the elevator doors to open. Oh, for the love of all good, this day wasn't beginning quite how I expected it to begin!

I immediately went inside the elevator again when it arrived - and then it hit me. Oh, it hit me hard! Did Yakako just say...Natsume looked WORRIED? Oh, no, he _couldn't_ be! I was definitely NOT dreaming when I heard that conversation yesterday! Definitely not!

"Perhaps he was not talking about you at all, Mikan. You _know_ Natsume-kun is a nice guy," a teeny-tiny voice inside of me said.

Oh, yes he was! Who else in this company was from a province and is eighteen-years-old!

"Perhaps, Katsuya Takato?"

_No_. Takato is nineteen!

"Then why the heck would he save you the other time?"

Because it would be the company's fault if something bad happened to me! And he _cares_ for his company!

"If he doesn't care for you, why would he ask you to be his girlfriend?"

OH, WOULD YOU SHUT UP, STUPID CONSCIENCE! He _hates _me!

"He'll notice, you know."

The elevator doors opened and I slowly walked out and headed to my desk. I'm sure he asked me to be his girlfriend because I was the ONLY girl friend he had! GIRL - space - FRIEND. Of course, he had Hotaru, but she was in _Okinawa_! And I can't imagine those two together, anyway.

I placed my bag at my chair as I fished through the things at my table. I saw the folder Natsume gave me to work on yesterday and realized I haven't really finished it because I left early.

I grabbed my bag and placed it below my desk to sit down. I opened the folder, about to start, when I heard the door knob being twisted at Natsume's office.

I immediately hid below the table.

Is he out? Is he in? Was it him in the first place? I didn't know - and I didn't care. Hiding wouldn't hurt, anyway. I could just say I dropped something...or something.

"What in the world are you doing down there?"

My body jolted, causing me to bump my head hard.

"Ouch," I mumble, rubbing the bump on top of my cranium.

"My, you have a weak heart!" Misaki-senpai said, turning red in laughter.

"You shouldn't startle people like that, idiot!" I yell at her, getting up. I stand corrected - hiding HURT.

"Sorry," Misaki-senpai said, still laughing. "Y-you just looked like you were in a-another planet or something s-so - pftt - I couldn't help it!"

I rolled my eyes, going back to what I was previously doing.

"So?" Misaki-senpai said her hands positioned in her waist.

I groaned. There she was again with her 'so' agenda.

"What 'so'?" I asked, but knowing what she meant by it anyway.

"_So_, you haven't told me what happened yet!" she said nudging my arm.

"As soon as I finish sorting this crap," I lied.

"Oh, alright," she said, giving a sigh and finally realizing for the second time around that 'I wasn't worth interrogating'.

I sorted out the resumes by surname and compiled them back to the folder as soon as I was done.

I stood up, thinking whether I should hand them over personally to Natsume or just have someone handing it out for me.

"You've been standing in front of Hyuuga-dono's office for fifteen whole minutes," Misaki-senpai pointed out, as my conscience and I debated. "Something happened, didn't it?"

I froze, staring at the golden nameplate at the door. "Nothing did," I say.

Senpai groaned. "If _nothing_ did, then get your ass inside that office now and get the job done!" she shot back, opening the door for me.

I looked at Natsume, who sat behind his desk, typing at his blue laptop.

He raised his head and looked at me with his usual stoic expression. "About time," he said, going back to his work.

I gave a final glance at Misaki-senpai, who was now walking away as I approached the table. I placed the brown folder on his desk and turned away, only to stop at what he said next.

"You've been avoiding me since this morning."

I held my breathing, only to hear my conscience tell me four words I was hoping not to hear. "I told you so."

* * *

**Koko: **Kokoro Yomi. I can read minds!

**Mikan: **(Nods in slow motion.) _Right._

**Koko: **Right!

**Mikan: **(Faces others) RIGHT?

**Others: **(Shrugs)

* * *

**That button over there...**

**!  
V**


	5. Immoral

**EDIT: **Thank you, thank you, thank you to Laika for pointing out my mistakes in this chapter! I SO appreciate it! XD

* * *

WOOHOO! This is the fifth chapter!! Okay, the featuring of Koko in the previous chapter came out pretty random. Let's just see if there's something in store for him to do in the next chapters. (insert wink in here)

May God bless all the kind people who reviewed the 4th chapter. (Smiles) **Moonlightnin, Yanani, YellowKnight, XxX NaTsUmE x MikAn XxX, tAnGeRiNe-jUjUbE08, theone2694, unique heart breaker, ribbons-paws, Vanilla Knight, manga-girl-freak, marvic31, Yinyang Equinox **(btw, did you change your username? I thought you did. Haha!)**, chrisca123456789, Ayu Kiyusuki, Valyruie, chiyuusaku, jazziscool, hikaru718, Mrs Kurosaki, crimson-diamonds-823, emily02, mangaxgirl, lemoncherrylove**

I don't own anything.

* * *

**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_I stop in my tracks, my eyes widening at the sight before me. All of my things piled up messily outside my hotel room, every single one of them, lying helplessly at the dusty red carpet. My eyes narrowed when my bag was thrown outside in a careless manner._

_I approached the sight furiously. It was then the person responsible walked outside, her long, thin arms crossed at her chest._

_Shouda Sumire smirked. "Sad to say," she began. "This room now belongs to me."_

**V: IMMORAL**

I gulped.

"Well?" Natsume pressed.

Okay, tell me, what was I supposed to do now? Pretend I didn't hear or something? WHAT THE HECK - what should I do?!

"It's not like you care, do you?" I mumbled, half turning, when I saw one of his eyebrows twitch up.

"What the heck are you talking about?" he asked, getting even more serious.

I bit my lower lip hard, I could almost taste the rust-flavored blood in my mouth. "Don't act dumb, you dumb idiot!" I yelled, feeling stupid at the flow of words that came out of my lips. I should be the one being called 'dumb'. If Natsume was dumb, why would he be chosen as the president, DUH! "I heard you talking to Ruka yesterday," I continued.

When Natsume didn't say anything, I thought I had already hit the jackpot…and in a way, that wasn't good. I slowly turned around, feeling a little sting in my chest, when I saw his one side of his lips lift up, forming a smirk.

From his seat, Natsume slowly stood up and walked towards my direction.

"Did you really think," he asked, whispering to my ear, "you mean nothing to me?"

**-xx.**

"OH, MY _LORD_!" Misaki-senpai's eyes almost bulged out after I told her what happened inside Natsume's office. "He _asked_ you if _you_ meant nothing to _him_?"

"That's unbelievable…" Yakako mumbled.

Senpai banged her hand on the table, making all the people in the café turn to our table to see what just happened. I took a sly sip from my glass, hiding my embarrassment.

"I _KNOW_! I mean, shouldn't he, himself, know if you meant anything to him or not? Why the heck should he be asking _you_?! You don't read minds!" she boomed.

I almost spit out my lemon ice tea.

Yakako and I looked at each other and she gave me that 'no-I-don't-think-she-got-the-story' look.

"What did you do?" Misaki-senpai asked as her face neared mine.

"I…ran," I mumbled.

Senpai's mouth hung wide open. "That's it? No slap? No 'I never wanna see you again!' or 'I thought you loved me?' What you did was just…" she paused in dismay, "…run?"

I nodded, taking another sip. "So what do you suggest I should've done?" I asked silently.

Yakako and Misaki-sepai said nothing for a while. It was some time after when Misaki-senpai finally spoke up.

"No," she said. "I got nothing.

I sighed. "We'd better go back," I said flatly, grabbing my dark-blue bag beside me. Misaki-senpai and Yakako followed after me. Why do I have this strong feeling I shouldn't go back to Flame?

As we stood across the street, I noticed a crowd of people around a long, black and shiny limousine driving to the parking lot of Flame. My eyebrows raised.

"A celebrity is visiting?" I asked myself aloud.

"My…" Yakako mumbled, her fingers touching her lips. "I forgot the new vice president of Flame was coming today!"

"You…" Misaki-senpai paused. "…forget?"

I rolled my eyes at Misaki. "Vice president? Why don't I know about this?" _I mean, I'm the president's secretary so I should know!_ I added mentally.

"Well, Mire-sama didn't want anyone to know, not even Mr. Hyuuga knows, so I kinda forgot because nobody keeps reminding me all the time…" Yakako trailed off.

Misaki-senpai nodded slowly. "Oh, so you always forget…"

"I'll go ahead of the both of you," Yakako said, as she ran ahead.

"Oh, wait, that's odd…" Misaki-senpai suddenly became serious for the first time today. "Hyuuga-dono's the president so _he_ should know, shouldn't he?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "Funny I thought the same thing…" I said, also running back to the building.

**-xx.**

"WHAT KIND OF SICK SURPRISE IS THIS?" I could hear Natsume shouting from inside his office as I bit my nails nervously.

The moment I arrived at my desk, I could already hear Natsume's angry voice from inside. It looked like he was already talking to the surprise vice president and he wasn't one bit happy about it.

"Natsume-kun, it's not like you can do anything about your mother's decisions," the new vice said. It was a girl's voice – and it sounded strangely familiar.

I heard the knob twist open.

"I'm going to talk to your secretary now. Sakura-san, isn't it?" I heard a high-pitched, irritating giggle from inside. "You know I once knew someone with that surname…"

The door slowly opened and revealed a pair of gold cat-like eyes I had been praying not to see again in my whole life.

"…and it looks like she still follows me around like she used to," she added.

"Sumire?!" I shrieked. Oh no. Oh no-no-no-no-no. _Please_ tell me this is a nightmare!

"Hi, bitch. Long time no see," she purred. "It's good to see you again."

"I'm just as happy as you are," I scoffed.

Her hand found its way to her hip as she spoke again, ignoring my side comment. "One more thing," her playful expression vanished. " – you're fired."

My eyes narrowed. "What?"

"That's enough. Only I can fire an employee," Natsume said, standing outside his office door.

Sumire-slut bit her upper lip seductively at Natsume. I didn't turn around to see what his reaction was because I was pretty sure he didn't smile at her and blow flying kisses – which was unimaginable.

"Hm? But Natsume-kun won't need a secretary now that _I'm _here," she decared. "_I _can take care of Natsume-kun as his _fiancée."_

My eyes met Natsume's at this statement. "You're engaged to Shouda?" I asked unbelievably. Inside me, someone was shouting. It was angry. By now, everyone in the building had gone to our floor to watch the free-and-live soap opera staring _me_, where this irritating antagonist keeps on irritating me to death!

"M-hm," Sumire said, answering a question that wasn't supposed to be hers. "Natsume-kun hasn't mentioned me to you yet?"

Natsume glared at Sumire at the corner of his ruby eyes."Shouda, this was never official. My mother never asked for my consent about this."

Sumire giggled. "Oh, I know. I was just practicing." – she paused – "Kaoru-kaa-san likes me a lot…and when the time comes…" she trailed off.

"Later," she said to me as she walked to the elevator and waved.

Natsume and I stood still for a moment, avoiding eye contact. I don't know what the heck was happening to me, but finding out that Natsume and Sumire were engaged, made my blood exceed boiling point!

Natsume stared at the people surrounding us. They froze for a moment at his stare and quietly got back to their desks.

He quietly walked back to his office, shutting the door loudly behind him.

I cringed and buried my face in my hands. Was I jealous? I hope not, because that meant falling in love.

**-xx.**

I knocked at Natsume's dor twice before I came in, holding a cup of coffee in my hands.

"Um…" I paused. "Can I come in?"

"You're already inside," he murmured as he continued typing on his laptop.

"Um…right," I said as I placed the cup on his table. "Coffee."

I walked back to the door and about to leave when I heard him call me.

"Polka," he said.

I froze. "Yeah?"

He paused for a moment. "How about we walk back together?"

**-xx.**

The elevator doors opened and I walked to the hallway with Natsume following behind me. None of us said a word throughout the whole journey – which was inside the elevator, outside the elevator, across the street, inside the elevator again and outside the elevator again.

I stop in my tracks, my eyes widening at the sight before me. All of my things piled up messily outside my hotel room, every single one of them, lying helplessly at the dusty red carpet. My eyes narrowed when my bag was thrown outside in a careless manner.

I approached the sight was then the person responsible walked outside, her long, thin arms crossed at her chest.

Shouda Sumire smirked. "Sad to say," she began. "This room now belongs to me."

It took me about three seconds to comprehend what she said.

"_What_?" my voice raised and cracked. If she was practicing again, I swear I'm going to practice strangling her to death!

"Yup!" she almost laughed in amusement, seeing my face. Sumire reached for designer bag and shoved her hand inside. "See?" she said, waving a long white envelope in her hand. "The receipt is right here."

"What?!" I shrieked.

Shouda laughed. "Have you ever thought of increasing your vocabulary? People your level are better off sleeping out_side_. Who knows? Maybe you'll find it comfy."

"Ciao!" she said in her high-pitched voice as she walked inside room 459 and closed the door beside her.

I sank to the floor. "God, this can't be happening."

I couldn't believe it – and I was crying. I don't think I'd be able to contact anyone at this time of the night abruptly saying, "Hi! Can I sleep over at your house tonight?" Yakako had many siblings, so there'd be no space and Misaki-senpai probably had a pet snake in her apartment…

"Polka-dots, get up," I heard Natsume say. My head immediately popped up, remembering he was there.

"Wha – ?" I stopped at my question, as I saw his long fingers entwine the handle of my bag. He walked to his room carrying it and swiftly slid the key inside.

After he carefully placed my bag inside, he turned to me. "What are you still doing there?"

"What?" I said again.

"You've got no where else to stay," he said emotionlessly, carrying the rest of my things inside. It was when everything was in Natsume's room that I realized what he had been doing.

"You…are letting me stay…?" I said slowly. "In your…room?"

Natsume rolled his red, round eyes. "What do you think?" he asked.

I found myself dumbfounded. It wasn't the first time he asked me what I was thinking – _and _he was offering to me to stay at his room! Well, I really don't think I had any other choice, because he had already taken all my belongings inside.

"What would people _think_? I mean…when they find out I'll be staying in your room – " I trailed off, almost whispering the last part. "And that mind-reader guy…"

"What?" Natsume said, a little but irritated that I was saying too much.

"Nothing," I suddenly snapped. OF COURSE that Yomi-guy couldn't read minds! I must've thought it aloud in the elevator, so he heard it.

"Tch." Natsume opened the door even wider.

I looked at him questioning his decision. Was he _honestly, honestly _offering me to STAY?

Natsume looked at me emotionlessly for a moment, but then turned inside, leaving the door open for me.

At that moment, my body was in full control. My feet moved by itself! One step, two steps, three steps, and then I found myself standing right behind him.

"There are extra sheets in the closet," he said.

I didn't say anything. My arms slowly stretch forward, wrapping itself around his waist. My forehead tilted downward leaning on the warmth of his back. My eyes suddenly ached as hot tears began to slowly fall from my eyes.

**.xx**

My eyes slowly and unwillingly opened because of the blinding sunlight. I eyes moved to examine my surroundings It _looked_ like my room – only a little bit more expensive-looking and non-floral.

I breathed in. _Sandalwood_, I identified, _and grass_. I suddenly realized I was leaning on something. My head turned up to look at what it was.

In a moment, everything of me was suddenly awake.

HOLY SWEET MAMA OF THE MAPLE TREE! I CAN'T FREAKING BELIEVE THAT I FORGOT THAT I STAYED IN HIS ROOM LAST NIGHT!

I covered my mouth tightly with my hands before I could let out a loud scream that could wake up the boy beside me. It took me a moment to calm down, my heart suddenly beating fast and my cheek burning.

Beside me, Natsume was asleep. He sat at the far edge of the couch, his chin resting on the ball of his left fist. I suddenly found myself staring unto his face. He looked like a cherub with that smooth, pale face and that hair as black as the raven's feather. If I could change anything about his appearance, I could not improve anything anymore.

"Staring again?" he asked, without opening his eyes.

I shot up, looking frantically around me. How did he know I was staring? His eyes didn't even open one bit!

Natsume's ruby orbs slowly turned to my direction, along with his angelic face. I found my cheeks burning again the next moment.

Natsume slowly rubbed his temples and got up. "You don't need to work today. Spend the day off to look for another place to stay," he said without looking at me.

"I – I will!" I stammered, standing up in an instant. And then, something fell off from my shoulders – a blanket.

My eyes widened. _Now_ I remember. I cried myself to sleep last night. I must've fallen asleep on his shoulder.

By this time, Natsume had already reached the kitchenette of the room.

"Hey," I called, without looking at his face directly. "Natsume…thank you."

"Hn."

Inwardly, I smiled. Yes, what Sumire did was immoral – but it was sort of worth it in the end. I saw his other side again.

* * *

**SUMIRE: **Sad to say, this room now belongs to me!

**MIKAN:** (Veins popping in her head.) _What...?_

**SUMIRE: **Mine! Me. Moi. Unless you didn't go to grade school, you wouldn't know that. Aw. I thought you were smart!

**MIKAN: **(More veins popping out of her head.) _YOU DISGUSTING, UGLY &&&()!!&&*ASDFGHJKL:"!!!!!!!_

**FAYE: **Uh-oh. I think she lost it. (Sweat-drops.)

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**A BIG, BIG HUG FOR THOSE WHO READ AND WILL REVIEW! :)  
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	6. Postponement

CHAPTER SIX, EVERYBODY! I'm so surprised I got this many reviews so far. And I'm so happy you all appreciate this fic. (Watery eyes) Thank you everybody! I love you all!

Here's that big hug I promised for all those who reviewed the fifth chapter. **YinYang Equinox** (Thank you, really for the corrections!)**, manga-girl-freak, sapphireangel09, chiyuusaku, Mrs Kurosaki, Crystal Chime13, GakuenAliceGRL **(Because what Sumire did was immoral…? :D)**, ribbons-paws, luna cherFer, lilmissrandom, TohruMitsuki, maxeyn, yhuradicctionx3, XxX NaTsuMe x MikAn XxX, lemoncherrylove, OtakuShigatsuGalz7653, Christianna Rico, RetiredWriter, aloscla, jazziscool, '-MiNi-RAi-', Th Laughing Doll, agus-chan, natsumikan~.**

No, I don't own this glorious anime. :)

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_I was rereading the list of addresses on the cut-out on my hand, when suddenly I felt something pull the end of my brown coat. I slowly looked down and saw a boy looking up at me intently, his blue-green eyes emotionless._

_I then began to wonder where I've seen these of eyes before. I was about to ask the boy what he needed, when he spoke before I did._

_"Hey ugly," he said flatly. "Help me."_

**VI. POSTPONEMENT**

I had been staring at Natsume for about three minutes. I could SWEAR there was something different about him today – he looked a little bit more stressed. Suddenly, I felt a sting of guilt inside of me – it was like _I _was the reason for that, simply because he must've not slept well last night because of _me_.

"There's milk in the refrigerator and cereal in the cupboard, in case you're hungry," he said in his usual, emotionless tone. "I'm going to take a shower for a while."

I could hear his silent footsteps across the room. When he finally entered the bathroom, I headed to his kitchenette, replaying on my mind what he said. I was about to pour the cereal on my bowl when I heard the door bang open.

"Nat-kun, dear! Good morning!" – OH GREAT, JUST GREAT.

I rolled my eyes at her, saying, "He's taking a shower."

At the corner of my eyes, I saw Sumire's body stiffen. She slowly opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I raised an eyebrow at her oh-my-god-I'm-seeing-a-damn-ghost look.

"_What_," she started, "the bloody, bloody HELL are YOU doing _HERE_?!"

I shrugged. "As far as I could remember, you _stole_ my room from me last night," I stated as-a-matter-of-factly. "And who was I with?"

Sumire's face became paler. "He let you _stay_?!"

I opened my mouth to say something when I heard the bathroom door open. Natsume stepped out, wearing his faded jeans and a towel wrapped around his neck. I didn't quite have time to linger on the sight of his bare stomach because I was utterly distracted by Sumire's screechy rantings.

The olive-haired perm placed both her hands on her waist. "Natsume Hyuuga, you have a fiancée!"

Natsume simply ignored her and turned to me. "Polka, your turn," he said, pointing to the bathroom door with his thumb.

I suddenly had the urge to stick my tongue at Permy, but fought against it. It was fair enough that Natsume was at my side – well _partly _on my side.

"Your day-off today will be deducted from your salary," he said, walking to the kitchenette and grabbing a bowl.

I groaned. Why can't he be kind for more than one minute?

Before I entered the bathroom, I saw Natsume's ruby eyes glare at Sumire. Her hand was shaking a little as she left and gently closed the door behind her. Fury? I don't know.

Inaudibly, I chuckled.

*** x x ***

I sighed, as I faced the person beside me. Natsume was looking at his car window, though I wasn't quite sure what he was looking at.

"We've been to six different places and none of them seem to be good enough," I said as I crossed out yet another address from a newspaper cut-out. I added further, looking at the digital clock at his car."And it's past lunch time."

Natsume exhaled through his mouth and started his engine again, regarding what I just said wordlessly. Surely, he was getting hungry, too, right?

I leaned my back at the car seat, as I looked at Natsume. He wore casual clothes today, not his usual tailored suits, that are not usually properly worn. I noticed that the only times that he wore his suits properly was when he went to meetings, and then after that, he would loosen his necktie and unbutton the first three buttons of his polo. Today he was wearing a long-sleeved orange sweatshirt, layered with a dark-blue v-neck t-shirt – and of course his usual gold earrings that I've never seen him remove.

"What do you want this time?" he asked, his eyes on the road.

"Nothing, why?" I asked.

He looked at me for a second then turned away. "Tch."

*** x x ***

**CHING**.

I crouched down to get two cans of coffee from the vending machine and handed one to Natsume, who was standing beside me. We had just finished lunch and I talked him into visiting this park nearby. I could SWEAR he was loosing his patience.

I was rereading the list of addresses on the cut-out on my hand, when suddenly I felt something pull the end of my brown coat. I slowly looked down and saw a boy looking up at me intently, his blue-green eyes emotionless.

I then began to wonder where I've seen these of eyes before. I was about to ask the boy what he needed, when he spoke before I did.

"Hey ugly," he said flatly. "Help me."

I blinked twice. Did this kid just call me UGLY?! I tried to shake it off and crouch down. "What can I help you with, boy?"

"I'm lost. I can't find my mom," he simply said.

I bit my lower lip and glanced at Natsume, asking for consent. He shrugged and took a sip from the can he was holding as he looked away.

"Sure, we'll help you," I said smiling.

The gray-haired boy nodded as his sleepy gaze found its way to Natsume.

"Hey mister," he said.

Natsume seemed surprised at being called. He raised an eyebrow at the child.

"Is she your girlfriend?" the kid asked, pointing his index finger at me.

"No," Natsume answered in almost the same lazy tone the kid spoke.

"I knew it," the kid said, looking at me again. "You looked smart not to have a girlfriend like this one."

One of the corners of my mouth twitched up, fighting hard to take what he said as a joke. The kid seemed see that sudden movement.

"Really." It wasn't a joke.

*** x x ***

I felt so weird looking at them walking like that. Both their hands were on their pockets – Youichi at the pockets of his olive jacket and Natsume at his jeans. And, as I was saying, it felt weird. They walked in the same thug-like, _cool _manner and turned AT THE SAME TIME to the things at the park that piqued their interest – like a sleeping dog, immobilized policeman (who has been bitten by that dog), the poor pussycat who was running for her life and a sleeping person with his mouth open wide. I SWEAR THOSE TWO HAD ISSUES. And more, I don't think they noticed AT ALL what they were doing.

The boy's name was Hijiri Youichi. He stood until my waist and until Natsume's mid-thigh, with blue-green eyes and unusual gray hair. I dared not to talk to any of them. When I talked to Youichi, he would just ignore me, and, inevitably, Natsume would do the same.

I watched them closely and noticed that Youichi turned for the first time to a direction where Natsume didn't. I slowly followed his bored gaze – at a cotton candy machine. I was about to ask You if he was hungry, when I heard his stomach growl. Natsume turned his head back at the kid behind him – Youichi seemed oblivious.

Natsume also followed You's gaze and remained standing for a second, probably debating. Then, he headed for the cotton-candy shop. I saw Youichi's head bow down a little and a faint of red was showing on his cheeks. I smiled. He was still a kid, I suddenly remembered.

After a while, Natsume brought back two sticks of blue cotton candy with him and handed one to Youichi.

You just stared at it silently for a while, but finally took it. Youichi paused and swallowed. "Thank you," he murmured, taking a bite right away. Natsume, on the other hand, just looked unemotionally at his. Then it hit me –

_WHERE._

_THE HECK._

_WAS _MY_ COTTON CANDY?!?!_

My brows furrowed at Natsume, who was standing beside me. I extended a hand to him.

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to give me?" I asked him, trying to be calm.

"No. Why?"

"Hey, I paid for the coffee earlier, you know!" I pointed out.

"So?"

"You ugly retard!" I said through my gritting teeth – pointing an accusing finger at him.

I was about to add more, when I felt a tug at my coat. I slowly turned, surprised to see who it was.

Youichi stretched his short arm up so I could reach the cotton candy he was offering at me. Natsume seemed to be as surprised as I was – and to him, that was just standing and unmoving and staring at the kid.

I took a small pinch at his cotton candy, and after going back to my senses, smiled. "Thank you, You-chan."

Youichi turned around, hiding the blush from his face. "Hn," he scoffed. "Stop adding '-chan' to my name. It sounds bad."

My smile grew wider as I melted the cotton candy on my mouth. From beside me, Natsume handed over the cotton candy he was holding.

"It's yours," he said distantly. "I hate sweets anyway." At that he walked away, with Youichi slowly trailing behind him.

Confused I began to shout out to him, "Well then, if you hate sweets, why the heck would you buy one for yourse – " OH GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS SO STUPID. I stared at what I was holding. Of course, I thought. He must've intentionally bought it for me.

I shifted my gaze back at the two people already far away from me, and giggled.

"You guys, wait up!" I called to them, running to keep up.

*** x x ***

"Oh, You-chan, where could your mother be?" I asked him. By this time, the three of us was sitting at a bench near Natsume's car. It was also almost sundown. "We've already asked all the people and the policeman said that he doesn't know of anyone looking, so…" I trailed off, seeing Youichi's saddened expression.

"It's my fault," he said after a moment of silence. "I wasn't ever good enough for her. I tried my best at school, but she wanted more…and I couldn't give it my best."

"I'm sure she knows of that – " I pressed, but Youichi cut off.

"No," he said quickly. "She's mad at me and I know it! That's why she's not looking for me!"

I bit my lip and looked at Natsume, hoping he had something to say, but he was just staring at Youichi with his blank expression.

I sighed, looking at the orange sky.

"True," I said. "There might be times that your mother may not be able to show how much she cares, but a mother is a mother." – I turned to face Youichi, who was intently listening to what I was saying. – "All she ever does is for you."

"No," Youichi repeated. "That's not true. She wants me to do good so that she could save herself from embarrassment."

I frowned and thought about it for a while. "Think of it this way," I said. "She's not saving _herself_ from embarrassment. She's saving _you _from it, because she wants everybody to respect you and see that you are very good."

Youichi's expression blanked. "I hope so."

The three of us went silent again – or at least both Youichi and I – when I heard someone calling Youichi's name from the distance.

Like a cue, Youichi stood up, his face lightening up. "Ma?"

The woman ran faster towards his son and kneeled to the ground so she could embrace her son tight. "Oh, Youichi, Youichi, Youichi!" she said, her voice cracking. "You're okay…you're okay…" she kept on repeating. Somehow I felt it was not Youichi who she was saying it for. She was somehow cooing herself, saying that her child was fine and nothing wrong happened to him.

"I looked everywhere for you," said the woman, who was now crying with joy.

I stood up from the bench and Natsume followed. It was at that time when the woman noticed us.

"You took care of my child?" she asked us, her tone light.

I smiled at her. "Yes. We did."

The woman stood up, but kept her hand on Youichi's shoulder, as if afraid to ever let go of him again. "I can't thank you enough," she said bowing her head.

"It was nothing," I told her.

The woman turned to Youichi again. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

Youichi nodded. "Just a sec," he said, as he turned to our direction.

I crouched to him while I spoke. "You take care now, 'kay?"

Youichi smiled at me for the first time. "Thank you, Onee-chan," he said, kissing my cheek. My eyes widened in shock, but after a while, I smiled.

"You're welcome," I said.

Youichi took two steps backward and turned to Natsume. "Nii-sama," he called out. "Thanks for the cotton candy."

Natsume smirked at him and nodded. Youichi grinned in return, as he skipped towards him.

He signaled Natsume to crouch down, so he could whisper something to his ear. After a short moment, I saw Natsume's eyes widen a little.

Youichi grinned as he walked back to his mother.

Mrs. Hijiri bowed again. As the two walked away, Youichi waved goodbye. When they were both far enough, I asked Natsume, "What did Youichi whisper to you?"

Natsume smirked and stood directly behind me. "He said we looked good together," he spoke near to my skin.

I immediately felt blood rush to my cheeks. "WH-WHAT?"

Natsume began to walk to his car. "Smart kid, huh?" he said.

I gritted my teeth. "No, that was _NOT_ what he said! Tell me the truth."

"If you don't want to believe me, then don't," Natsume countered.

"STOP LYING!"

I felt small tingling inside of me. Even though I didn't find a place to stay today, it was kind of worth it. _And besides, that means I get to spend another night at his room, right?_

…

…

…

WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WAIT.

PAUSE.

DELETE.

"I guess you'll be spending another night at my room, then."

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

**MIKAN: **YOU UGLY RETARD!

**PEOPLE AROUND THE SCENE: **(Stares at Natsume.) (Blushes.) He's not ugly! He's an _annnngellllll_!

**YOUICHI: **(Puts on a scary face.) _Natsume-nii-sama is getting more attention that me..._

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**I HOPED YOU LIKED IT. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.**

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	7. Facade

_Let us offer a little part of this chapter for the people who were greatly affected by the typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines. Please pray for them._

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YAY! I got more than a hundred reviews in six chapters! Thank you, guys! I love you so much! I'll try to keep updating ASAP even if it means banging my head on the keyboard everyday. XD

**NOW PLAYING: **New Perspective by Panic! At the Disco

Thank you to the people who reviewed the previous chapter! **Crystal_Chime13, manga-girl-freak, maxeyn, GakuenAliceGRL, Amuto15 **(KYA~ an amuto, like me! *hi-five!*)**, yhuraddictionx3, Thunder_blossoms_Fire, Irainee, redsakuanbo, KeiXHikari FTW-, ribbons-paws, PotChiee., XxAoiHoshixX, x'bLuE-AnGeL'x, agus-chan, -Unknown Specimen-, OtakuShigatsuGalz7653 **(Thanks for the suggestion! I'll gladly include it!)**, mangaxgirl, 'miyuki-chan07'.  
**

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_I stand before the huge doorway, still not believing that things became this way. I know I had agreed to this façade, but I couldn't help thinking if I made the right decision or not. I swallowed hard. No, pondering wouldn't change anything. I was already in this mess and there is only a one to one thousand ratio that things would go the way it was supposed to be – that I was just a secretary and that I was just working because I wanted to help Jii-chan and Mom._

_I stare at Natsume who was standing beside me. I could see he was as uncertain as I was. My eyes narrowed in wonder...maybe fate had this in store at the very beginning?_

**VII. FAÇADE**

Natsume and I sat across each other at the small table in his kitchenette. My day-off was over, as far as I know and today I go back to work. Maybe if I talk to everybody at the office, I would find a place to stay tonight – because seriously, I'm feeling more and more awkward by the minute! I couldn't sleep properly last night because I keep on breathing his scent! NATSUME HYUUGA'S SCENT. Damn it, it was everywhere! Whenever I tossed and turned I keep on inhaling him! It was like the smell of a regular guy-perfume...only _milder_ and more _seductive_ and more _Natsume-ish_.

Inwardly, I groaned. Maybe it was some kind of poison he was using to mess with my fragile, oh-so-small-for-my-own-good brain.

I scoop a spoonful of milk from my bowl of cereal and pour it back again, literally playing with my food as I slowly look up to have a quick glance at the person accross of me.

"You're acting insane again," he quietly noted.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks. "Stupid idiot! What the heck are you talking about?" I shot back.

Natsume raised one eyebrow. "I am called a 'stupid idiot'. What do you call yourself, then?" he countered coolly.

I gritted my teeth and quickly stood up, not bothering to finish my food. "I'm using the bathroom now," I said, irritated.

Natsume chuckled silently at my descent. I could hear his footsteps behind me as I headed to my bags to get my towel and clothes. He crouched to the ground a few moments after I did. I inhaled, breathing his scent again. Almost automatically, I stopped breathing.

"You have to remember," he whispered playfully unto my ear. "You owe me a favor."

Okay, I think my heartbeat stopped, too.

Natsume stood up before anything else in my body stops. I hustled to grab my things before I faint in front of him.

I could feel Natsume smirk from beside me, even though I couldn't see him. I then hurried to the bathroom door.

I heard him chuckle again.

_It was an insanely seductive chuckle._

**..x*x..**

I trailed behind Natsume to the inside of Flame. From around me, I could feel shocked gazes and low whispering. Hell! These people are probably thinking about the reason both of us were absent yesterday! And by this time, of the so many employees checked in at Alice Hotel, news about me staying at Natsume's room for two consecutive nights must've already reached every single nosy person in this building – or worse, _all_ of the Flame branches!

I walked inside the elevator after Natsume did with my head bowed down in embarrassment. I suddenly felt someone nudge my elbow. I raise my head up, only to find Misaki-senpai grinning at me. I glare at her in return, but her grin only grew wider.

I slap her shoulder lightly. "Could you stop that look? It's killing me, you know!" I said, ranged, in a low voice.

Senpai looked around, as if to talk to somebody who isn't there. "Yeah, if only looks could kill," she said mockingly. Then she whispered to my ear, "Fill me in with the juicy details later!" – at that, she got out on her destination floor.

I felt my cheeks become warm, noticing that all of the people in the elevator was staring at us. I glanced at Natsume. He seemed oblivious...or maybe he was purposely_ pretending _not to notice.

When the elevator doors opened on our floor. I decided not to trail behind Natsume, which will cause too much of those unwanted attention. And so, I walked past him and to my table.

When Natsume entered his office, I pretended he was not there.

I suddenly felt a sting at my chest when he quietly walked past me. It made me wonder – was he feeling awkward, too? I turned around, giving a pained look at his office door, when I heard a voice behind me.

"Love quarrel?" My body jolted up and I looked to see who the person was. In front of me, Misaki-senpai and Yakako stood with smirks on their faces.

I rolled my eyes at them. "We're not quarrelling," I simply noted. I saw Misaki-senpai whisper something to Yakako and both giggled. My eyes narrowed. I knew what they were thinking!

"–and we're not in love, either!" I quickly followed, crossing my arms at my chest.

Misaki-senpai's hands found its way to her waist. "Hm? Then where did both of you go yesterday?"

I opened one of my desk drawers and flipped the papers, pretending to look for something. "Looking for a new place to stay." I could see Senpai smirk again. Abruptly, I added, "I agreed because he had a car!"

This time, it was Senpai who rolled her blue eyes. "And you ended up staying _again _at his apartment _because_…?"

I groaned. "Look, we met this kid, okay? And he was lost! Now get off of my back!" I said, signaling then to go away.

"Geez…" I heard Misaki-senpai mumble as she walked away.

Yakako, on the other hand, remained with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry, Mikan-san. We're just very happy that Shouda-san isn't taking over today."

I raised my head at her upon hearing Sumire's name. "Why? What happened yesterday?"

Yakako sighed. "Well, we barely had breaks and were forced to work overtime," she said softly. "She seemed very angry and let it out on us."

I bit my lip. That was kinda my fault…

"She only let us go home when she received a phone call," Yakako continued. "Her bad mood seemed to have ceased."

And then it hit me… "Where's Permy, anyway? I haven't seen her yet?" _I mean, I should've by now. The room I'm staying at is next to hers…_ I added mentally.

Yakako shrugged. She opened her mouth to say something when Misaki-senpai made a loud cough.

"_Ya-ka-ko_!" she called. I suddenly felt guilty…maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on her.

Yakako pursed her lips and bowed as she waved. I nodded at her and smiled.

When they were far enough away, I closed my desk drawer and lightly drummed my fingers at my lap. I silently looked around…where _was _the slut today?

…**x*x…**

I quietly walked towards Misaki-senpai's table at lunch time that day and apologized. My conscience couldn't take the guilt. After all, she was one of my closest friends at Flame so she, at least, deserves to know something, right?

I sighed on my mind. But Senpai was the kind that couldn't be trusted with _everything_…she might promise to never tell anyone the first minute and let everybody know the dirt the next. I shrugged it off. I should learn to trust people a lot more. After all, with Natsume knowing all of the dirt about me, he has never told anyone, right?

Now, we had just finished lunch. I had, so far told Misaki-senpai all about how I ended up in Natsume's and about Youichi, and she seemed convinced.

The three of us walked back to Flame at the busy streets of Tokyo. I looked around at the huge buildings and billboards when a certain sign piqued my attention:

**PEKACHU vs. MEGA PEKACHU!**

I stopped at my tracks and my eyes gleamed with excitement.

Misaki-senpai waved her right hand in front of my face. "Hello? Anybody there?"

I blinked twice and laughed, scratching the back of my head. "Sorry, sorry, I just saw that new Pekamon movie!"

Senpai tsk-ed. "Really, now. There are times when you don't act like your age!" she said, as she began walking away with Yakako.

I tuned my head at the advertisement once again, when I saw someone leaning on one of the posts, seemingly staring at me.

I looked at the tall guy who was wearing a brown jacket and a blue hat. My eyes narrowed at him…he looked familiar. It was like I have seen that person somewhere before.

The tall guy then turned around, after a moment of stillness and he started to disappear into the crowd of people in the streets.

I felt my heartbeat go faster. Why was I suddenly feeling nervous?

…**x*x…**

I was about to sit down when I heard the door open loudly beside me. I almost jumped in surprise.

"Where the heck have you been?" I heard Natsume raise his voice at me. It was kind of obvious that he was in a bad mood.

"I was out for _lunch_, _Boss_! Is _that_ so wrong?" I said, emphasizing my words. OOOOOOOHH, HE MAKES ME SO MAD!

Natsume raised one perfect eyebrow. "It takes an hour to go out and eat lunch?" he asked, clenching his jaw.

My eyes furrowed at his behavior. "Apparently, _yes, it does_," I told him as-a-matter-of-factly. "Is _that_ so _wrong_?" I repeated.

Natsume exhaled slowly as he rubbed his temples. "Look," he began to say, not bothering to look at my eyes. "I…I have a big problem and I needed your help and you weren't there!" Natsume groaned. "I'm sorry."

"Well I am GLAD that you're sorry, `cause if you're not, I could SWEAR –" I paused. WAIT. Did he say… "You need my help?" I echoed, dazed.

Natsume closed his eyes to calm down. He was still in rage, I persume. "You're taking the rest of the day off," he said already walking towards the elevator. "You're coming with me."

"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH, WAIT!" I yell at him. Natsume paused for a minute, but turned around in acknowledgment. "You aren't going to deduct this little commercial of yours from my salary, are you?" I asked.

Natsume rolled his red eyes. "I'm not. Can you get moving, now?"

I rolled my eyes back at him. "Right, right, Mr. Grumpy," I said, taking my blue-green bag. I paced faster as I followed him towards the elevator.

Natsume walked briskly towards the ground floor. It was like if I wasn't there, he'd be running and going to the place where he's been itching to go to – wherever that is.

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked, shutting the car door beside me. "And what's going on?"

Natsume started the car before he answered. "Ruka called," he said. "According to him, my one heck of a mother just planned another event without my consent."

I tilted my head. "Event? What kind of event?" I asked.

There was a short pause before he actually answered. "She's planning to announce my engagement to the press."

I suddenly became serious. Engaged? "Do you mean…" I paused in grim dismay. "…to Sumire?"

I could see Natsume's eyes narrow in anger. He nodded once.

Okay, okay…now I understand why he's so mad. I mean, who would want to marry _PERMY_?!

At this point, I understood this was something important. "What can I do to help?" I asked. "Act like a secret spy? Cause a commotion? Cause an ambush?" – I paused before I stated my last and BEST idea – "Kill Sumire?"

Natsume didn't seem to get the joke. He scoffed. "Are you even thinking?"

I puffed my cheeks. "Well, sorry, sorry! I was just trying to make you laugh."

"This is no laughing matter, Polka-dots," he said in a hard voice.

Both of us stayed silent for a while.

"I know," I quietly said. "Tell me what I can do."

Judging from Natsume's expression, I knew he had something in mind. It kind of figured he did because he knew I could help him.

It was exactly when his car stopped at a stoplight when he answered. "Be my girlfriend."

Both of us were silent – so silent that I could hear the car horns and the engines running even with the windows shut closed. If it weren't for the people who continued to walk across the streets, I would assume that time had stopped… or maybe it had for the both of us.

Natsume and I were unmoving and silent. He was the one who first moved when he stepped on the gas and drove to wherever our destination was.

I didn't know why, but I suddenly laughed. It was a hoarse and sarcastic. "Oh, I get it," I said aloud, not really talking to him, but to myself. "This is another one of your 'never mind' tricks, isn't it?"

Natsume's face hardened. "No." He said it so clearly that it sent shivers down my spine. "This time, I'm serious."

I turned my face to him, shocked. "B-but why me?" I blurted unclearly.

Natsume's breathing became faster. I could see the rising and falling of his shoulders. "Look, there isn't any person here who can possibly help me but you, okay?" he said. "And with you –" – he looked at my reflection at his rearview mirror – "If it's you it'll seem more…believable."

Natsume kept his eyes on the road this time, realizing I wasn't convinced. "This might be the first and last time I'm going to ask a favor from you," he said.

There was, again, a moment of silence between us. It was then Natsume asked the question I was praying he wouldn't ask.

"Are you going to help me?"

I swallowed hard. I didn't know what came to me, but something inside of me told me to state a straight, very clear, "Yes."

…**x*x…**

The two of us walked side-by-side at the huge mall. I felt awkward – everyone seemed to look at us.

"What are we doing here?" I asked him.

Natsume didn't bother to look at me. "You have to look decent when you show up later."

I knit my eyebrows together. "Why, don't I look decent?" I said, looking down at what I was wearing. I think it was pretty decent – black slacks and a white long-sleeved blouse.

Natsume didn't answer.

We walked pass many stores and I thought we wouldn't stop walking, until he stopped to enter one of the stores. I looked at their clothes through the glass window. This place was big, I thought. I looked up to read the name of the store. **PRADA**, it read. Prada? I reread it again and my eyes widened. PRADA! OH MY GOLLY GOSH! HE TOOK ME TO _PRADA_?!

I immediately grabbed a hold at one of his sleeves. "Natsume, this is Prada! I can't afford the clothes at this place!" I whispered frantically.

Natsume pulled his sleeve from my grasp. "You're not the one who's going to pay – I am," he noted. "Now, stop standing there like an idiot and follow me."

I was speechles. Did I hear it right? He was buying me clothes now?

"What may I help you with, Sire?" a small middle-aged woman asked Natsume, smiling.

"What have you got for her?" Natsume asked, pointing his thumb at me.

The woman looked at me carefully, and after a while, smiled. "We have just the dresses for this lovely lady," she said, cheerfully. "Now, Madame, may I assist you to the fitting room?"

I looked at Natsume, asking for consent and he nodded once. I quietly followed the woman to the fitting room.

"Why don't you try this, Madame?" she said politely, offering a red knee-length dress.

I smiled weakly at her. I felt very odd – I wasn't used to this kind of treatment. In the places where I usually bought clothes, salesladies weren't this accommodating. Maybe it was always like this when a store had a name - they go for good reputation.

The dress was a perfect fit, but the color didn't look very good on me.

"Would you mind if I take a look, Madame?" I heard the woman's voice ask from outside the small room.

Truth be told, I had no plans to show anyone anything I tried on. "No, I don't think –"

"Just come out," I suddenly heard Natsume say, cutting me off.

Almost automatically, I did come out at his order.

Natsume was sitting on one of the leather sofas as he looked at me. He slowly shook his head.

I sighed. Good. I didn't like this dress, too.

"Perhaps, you might want to try these," the saleslady offered as she handed over other two dresses.

I tried them both on, but I didn't like how they were worn on me. Unexpectedly, when I didn't like it, Natsume also didn't. He kept on shaking his head at me whenever I showed up with different dresses.

It was probably the millionth time I went back inside the fitting room. _I hope this fits me well this time_, I thought.

It was another knee-length dress, with puffed sleeves and a ruffled neckline. It had a red ribbon just below the chest and the color, I think, fit me perfectly. Light yellow.

The woman's face lighted up as I walked outside to show myself.

"My, it fits you perfectly!" she said, clapping her hands together once. Then, she took one of her bobby pins from her hair and twisted a lock of mine and pinned it in place. "There," she said, stepping aside and giving a clear view of me to Natsume.

"She looks real good in this one, no?" the saleslady asked.

Natsume was silent for a while. "No," he finally said, looking away.

I opened my mouth to argue, when I heard him say something else.

"That's an understatement," he added further.

I didn't know what came to me, but I felt blood rush to my cheeks. Without further ado, I went back inside the fitting room and shut the door close behind me. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Yes, just as I thought – I was blushing!

I lightly slapped my face with both my hands. "What are you blushing for, Mikan?" I asked myself in a low, quiet voice. _Seriously…_

…**x*x…**

I step outside his car the moment he opened the car door for me.

"A pleasant afternoon to you, Sir," a man in a white uniform said, bowing his head at Natsume. Natsume just nodded once at him.

Natsume offered one hand. I hesitated before I took it.

"Natsume," I called faintly. "What if this doesn't work out?"

Natsume's expression hardened. "I don't know," he said, as we stopped at our tracks.

I stand before the huge doorway, still not believing that things became this way. I know I had agreed to this façade, but I couldn't help thinking if I made the right decision or not. I swallowed hard. No, pondering wouldn't change anything. I was already in this mess and there is only a one to one thousand ratio that things would go the way it was supposed to be – that I was just a secretary and that I was just working because I wanted to help Jii-chan and Mom.

I stare at Natsume who was standing beside me. I could see he was as uncertain as I was. My eyes narrowed in wonder...maybe fate had this in store at the very beginning?

Natsume pushed the door open, and everybody on the room seemed to have turned to our direction. From where we were standing, I could see Natsume's mother and Sumire right beside her. Her expression was like she had seen a ghost!

"To everybody," Natsume announced loudly. "I would like to introduce my girlfriend, Sakura Mikan."

There was a mix of camera snaps and murmurs from across the hall. I could see flashes and flashes of light before me.

Natsume held my hand tighter, as if telling me to hold on.

Oh no. I was scared. Very scared.

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**Mikan: **(Eyes gleaming with excitement.) PEKACHU vs. MEGA PEKACHU!

**Misaki-senpai: **(Waves her hand in front of Mikan's face.)

**Mikan: **(Oblivious.) I wonder what will happen to Bulbiesoar and Squirting in this movie...

**Misaki-senpai: **I think she's lost it.

**Faye: **Oh, she has lost it a LONG, LONG time ago.

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**THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU FOR READING AND REVIEWING!**

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V**


	8. Fencing

**EDIT:** Chapter has been edited. Phrases rephrased and some sentences omitted. Thank you, Nameless Author.

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_Merry Christmas, everybody!_

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(Scroll down, scroll down) OOH. T-T-T-T-T-THANKS for your du-du-du-DARRRLINGG reviews! (kissy, kissy, hug, hug). WHEE! I'm so happy and hyper and I don't freaking know why! So, since I'm in the purrrrfect mood, here's another update! DUM-DUM-DUM! Oh, oh! Wait, before I list all the reviewers of the previous chapter, I'mma say that I'm so HAPPYY that I got this feedback from **kirei31** that the character's attitudes didn't change. Hm, well I try REALLY REALLY hard not to make characters OOC, because I know that would make ANY story suck BIGTIME. So PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE-PLEASE, in case there are times/moments/instances that I make the characters out of their league, just PM me or note it own on a review, okay? Thanks, thanks, thanks!

A billion hugs and thank you letters for: **kirei31, JustinneXD, redsakuanbo, candy299, 'miyuki-chan07', x'bLuE-AnGeL'x, Saikono-san, '-MiNi-RAi-', ribbons-paws, AniME AddiCtz, angel514, fantoomx54, crimson eyed girl, huyutfsakura, haPpy08, agus-chan, XxX NaTsUmE x MikAn XxX, manga-girl-freak, XxAoiHoshixX, natsumikan~, chrisca123456789, crystal, yhuraddictionx3, Da-Special-Song, ImiChan, abbyciel, OtakuShigatsuGalz7653, Moonlit Song.**

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_I looked at the interior design of the huge mansion. It was like I was in an old movie, because the scene was like a déjà vu from one old film my mother used to watch. The furniture in the place were antique and in the shade of brown, gold and bronze. My eyes stopped scanning when I noticed a fencing sword hanging from one corner of the house. A small smile crept on my lips. Fencing has always reminded me of Jii-chan. I remembered that he always advised me to study fencing, but I would always refuse him._

_Slowly, I tiptoed and reached for the sword's handle. I stretched my arm further and I almost had it when I lost balance. I closed my eyes tightly, expecting a crash-and-burn sound from the background when I felt a strong hand at the arch of my back. I inhaled. I smelled him._

**VIII. FENCING**

I tried to stand upright and confident by my eyesight was failing me. Never in my whole life have I experienced being the center of attention – not this way at least.

I felt Natsume's arm around my waist as he pulled me close to him. He walked his way pass the reporters inside the hall expertly with me, half dazed, at his side.

When we reached the front, I noticed the intense glare between Natsume and a woman. I looked at her intently. This must be his mother, I presumed. I could greatly see the resemblance between them. They both had raven hair and blood-red eyes. Only, Natsume's mother's hair was shoulder-length.

"Well, as I was saying," Natsume's mother said, with her firm and composed voice. "I would like to announce my son's engagement to his girlfriend," – her red eyes turned to glare at me for about a second, then to Natsume, "Sakura Mikan."

My heart pounded like hammer in iron. What the – wait a minute, I thought Natsume said _girlfriend_. 'Pretend to be my _girlfriend_', not _fiancée_!

I looked up to have a clear view of Natsume's face, my eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but as usual, he wore his emotionless mask. Natsume's hand tightened around my waist, as if telling me to wait 'till later for my questions.

Almost immediately, as if it took a little while longer for it to sink in, I heard a gasp from behind from Mrs. Hyuuga and I suddenly remembered that Sumire was present in the scene, her face struck with horror, dismay, anger and disappointment.

"But, _Kaa_-san –" she started in a low, angry voice, but Mrs. Hyuuga signaled her to keep quiet.

Natsume's mother turned to the crowd, who seemed unaware of what was happening in front of them. She looked from left to right before she spoke. "You are all dismissed," she simply said and the body guards I never noticed from around the huge hall gathered to lead the crowd to the exit.

We waited until everybody left before the four of us moved or spoke – well, that is, except for Sumire who glared icicles at me the whole fifteen minutes.

When the hall was empty, I could've sworn I heard Sumire let out a hiss. "Kaa-san! I thought I would be the one engaged to Natsume-kun!" she debated, partly raising her tone at the superior before her.

Natsume's mother nodded once, her expression unreadable. "That is what I have planned," – she slowly turned her head to Natsume and me – "until my _son_ began another ruckus."

"Tch," Natsume spat. It was obvious he was holding back his anger. I could feel his hand shaking.

I decided to speak before the fire between the mother and son became bigger.

I bowed. "N-nice to meet you, Mrs. Hyu – "

Natsume's mother didn't allow me to finish. "Igarashi," she stoically said. "Igarashi Kaoru. That's my name. I do not want to be called Hyuuga-what-so-ever. I do not want to bear that man's name." Her tone sent shivers down my spine.

I nodded frantically at her right after. "Y-yes, Igarashi-sama," I said with a shaking voice. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Sakura Mikan." I bowed at her again.

"Natsume's so-called 'girlfriend'," she said, smirking partially. "Since when did you get a girlfriend, son?"

Sumire, by this time, already got fed up, waiting for her turn to speak. She stomped one of her heels unto the wooden platform. "Kaa-san! What about my engagement!" she yelled.

Natsume finally spoke as he glared at Sumire. "That was never official. You and I were never going to get engaged," he said.

Sumire crossed her arms and scoffed. "Oh yeah? Last time I checked, _Pig_ here was just your freaking _secretary_!" I couldn't believe my ears – Permy just called me a PIG! – and raised her voice at Natsume for the first time – BUT! What she said about me was unacceptable!

I was about to yell the heck everything I've got in store for her when I suddenly remembered that Natsume's mother was still standing in front of me. Immediately, all of my anger subsided and, again, I was engulfed in fear. It was obvious that Kaoru didn't like me. I could see it by the way she looks at me. And though she keeps a composed façade, I could swear, I could see a flash of anger in her eyes when Sumire said the word 'secretary'.

"Well, I guess it's up to my son to figure out what to do regarding his decision," Kaoru said sternly. "I have given you a chance with this girl and unless you two prove yourselves…" – she paused, turned around and started walking – "…I guess Natsume will have to do what I want."

_Prove myself how?_

Right then, one of Kaoru's body guards opened one of the huge doors for her as she walked out of the hall. I felt awkward. By how the things were going now, I could say that Natsume's mother was acting like the step-mother from Cindirella – and Sumire was acting like the evil step sisters.

Sumire casted a final glare at me before she followed Igarashi-sama. I sighed once Natsume and I were the only ones left in the huge hall.

"I can't pretend to be your fiancée," I said slowly.

"I promise this will end soon," Natsume said silently, as he pulled his arm away. He looked at me. "I will pay you. Just a little bit longer – "

I shook my head. "I understand," I paused in between. "But what if I can't do it?"

There was a short pause before he answered. "I don't know."

I felt I didn't, too.

**-xx.**

I sat uncomfortably at one of the restaurant chairs that Natsume took me to. I felt dumb. Dumb because I was supposed to be feeling comfortable because this, in fact, was an expensive, famous restaurant _and_ dumb because I could feel stares from people around us because I was practically _killing _Natsume with intense glares right at this very moment – but I could see it didn't affect him one bit.

I bit my lip before I spoke. "Tell me again why I shouldn't move out of your hotel room?"

I saw Natsume's red eyes roll in annoyance. "My mother has ways of seeing everything. I told you before, she's persistent." Natsume drummed his fingers at the table and placed his chin on his palm as he looked at me. "And besides, it will be hard for you to go around places now that you're famous."

"_What_?" I almost shrieked at his statement. "I'm not famous! Since when have I been – "

I got cut off when Natsume pointed at the nearby restaurant's huge plasma TV that I just noticed.

" – _**MIKAN SAKURA, THE FIANCEE OF NO OTHER THAN NATSUME HYUUGA, THE HEIR TO FLAME, WAS SAID TO HAVE LIVED IN HOKKAIDO, JAPAN ALONG WITH HER MOTHER AND GRANDFATHER. – "**_

I thought there was something wrong with how the people were reacting – they were staring at my face on the TV and _my _actual face back and forth, back and forth – God, it was annoying!

My jaw locked open – and it would've stayed like that for a while if it wasn't for Natsume who was distracting me with his ever-so-lovely smirking face.

I blinked twice before I got back to my senses…and my senses said _KILL ME. KILL ME NOW._

I gawked at the television. "So I'm all over the news now?"

Natsume's smirk only grew wider. "Well what do you think?"

_I think I should follow my senses. _I rolled my eyes.

It suddenly surprised me when Natsume stood up and looked at his watch.

"We got to get you new clothes," he said, walking towards behind me.

I turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?" I asked.

He pulled my chair back as I stood up. "My mother's meeting us up at ten tomorrow morning."

I suddenly froze. It took a moment for that sentence to sink in. "M –" I paused for a second. "Meeting us up at ten? Wh-where?"

"At the mansion," Natsume replied.

I suddenly felt a shudder down my spine. After that encounter with Igarashi-sama and her glaring, I felt I didn't have the nerve to actually meet her…face-to-face…again…face-to-face…

I sighed. "There's nothing else I can do, can I?" I looked at him, still hoping he would say there _was _something I could do.

Natsume was silent for a while after he pushed back my chair under the table. "What do you think?" he asked.

_I knew he'd say that_.

**-xx.**

I collapsed on the bed the moment we got back. Normally, girls would want the pleasure of shopping and trying out the most _expensive _dresses money could buy – but I wasn't one of them. My whole world felt it wouldn't stop spinning any time sooner. My feet ached and my head…well, ached even more.

There was some kind of weird sensation when you go shopping with Natsume – there was so many things he _didn't_ like and so few that he _did_ appreciate. That kind of makes me stop and wonder what he thought of me seeing all those clothes I wore.

I shifted to my side and took a peek at the dozen paper bags scrambled on the floor. "Who's gonna take the bed tonight?" I asked without looking at him. "I was kinda thinking we could take turns, you know. That seems kind of fair." I looked at Natsume from the corner of my eye.

Natsume removed his black suit and loosened his black tie before he spoke. "Nobody's not taking the bed," he said flatly.

I looked around. "Did you order another bed, then?"

Natsume, by this time, was loosening the buttons of his long-sleeved polo. "You're my fiancee now, and my mother has practically announced our engagement to all the world so there's no need to getting all worked up on sharing a bed."

I immediately shot up. I had all forgotten how much my headache pained. "So you mean you and I are sharing a…_bed_?" I looked at him with widened eyes.

I suddenly blushed when I saw that Natsume was now shrugging his white polo off. "You shouldn't get worked up with seeing me half-naked either," he added, partially smirking.

"You're not half-naked," I countered quickly, blushing. True, he was wearing a white shirt, but it was so tight that it clung unto his body like he wasn't even wearing a shirt at all.

I turned my head slightly to get a good view of him. _I wanted to scream._

"Never said I was," Natsume said coolly as he walked pass me towards the small kitchen. I felt my cheeks become hotter when his scent enveloped me.

I felt all dizzy again, but I forced myself to stand up. I crouched to my bag and quickly snatched my grey long-sleeved cotton dress and roll shorts. What I would be wearing tonight was definitely not my pink night-gown. If I wore that, I would kill myself the next day. I almost tripped upon finding my way towards the bathroom and I could've _sworn_ I heard Natsume chuckle from where he was standing.

I hissed under my breath.

I went out after, seriously, twenty minutes. I spent about fifteen minutes getting rid of the mental images I was getting – mental images of _him_ and…me…ARGH! JUST MAKE IT STOP! MAKE THIS FREAKING OBSESSION-THING _STOP_!!!

I slapped myself hard before I went out of the bathroom and searched for my Victoria's Secret flannel slippers that my aunt gave me last Christmas before I noticed the faint smell of food that came from the kitchenette.

Suddenly, my stomach growled. So maybe _that_ was the reason I was so dizzy! I was hungry and I barely noticed it.

I stood up and walked towards the table, staring at the food.

"I didn't know you could cook," I told him, sitting down.

Natsume took a pitcher of juice from the refrigerator and two glasses from the cupboard before he answered me. "Yeah right, how do you think I survived here for three whole years if I didn't know how to cook?"

My brows furrowed at him. I looked around his hotel room. "You started living alone three years ago? That makes you what? Fifteen?" I calculated.

Natsume smirked. "Sixteen," he corrected.

"Oh." He was _nineteen _now, I could've guessed.

"I didn't know they offered hotel rooms to people at that age," I said after a short moment of pause.

Natsume leaned closer to me. He seemed bemused to where this conversation was getting at. "My family _owns_ this hotel."

I felt my cheeks become hot again. "Oh. Guess I kinda forgot," I said, taking one of the glasses and filling it up with juice.

Natsume leaned back. "Exactly why you shouldn't sleep anywhere else tonight," – Natsume's smirk grew wider – "You never know if my mother installed any hidden cameras in this room."

I almost spit out what I was drinking. "Hidden _what_?!"

I turned my head and looked everywhere frantically. The fact that maybe I was being watched by those scary red eyes was terrifying – well, aside from being watched by _another_ pair of red eyes, but in some way, that was kinda different.

I was suddenly surprised when I felt Natsume's warm hand on my chin, moving it slightly so he could get a good view of my face.

I turned my eyes to him, shocked.

"Is that a hand mark on your right cheek?" he observed.

I quickly withdrew my face from his fingers. "No," I lied. Okay, maybe I slapped myself too hard a while ago.

"If you don't eat the food you prepared any sooner, it would be put to waste," I said, chomping on my own food, in attempt to change the subject so that he wouldn't ask anymore about the hand mark.

I saw one perfect eyebrow rise up at my immediate reaction, but, gladly, Natsume let it go.

The rest of the dinner was rather silent. I volunteered to wash the dishes because it was Natsume who cooked it up in the first place.

Natsume agreed and walked towards the sofa to watch some TV. I was, well, feeling awkward. And whoever spirit took over my body was thinking of what _can_ happen if Natsume and I get married – I can't believe I'm saying this. As far as I was concerned, about three weeks ago, Hyuuga-boss-guy was not an object of my wildest dreams.

I slapped myself…_again_.

I suddenly heard a chuckle from behind me.

"What are you doing?" Natsume asked, now smirking.

I now felt I was blushing again because Natsume's smirk only grew wider. "I-Is there anything so _wrong_ about slapping yourself?" I shot back at him.

Judging from Natsume's face, he was _so_ trying hard not to laugh. "There's none," he said, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a glass of water he placed there a little while ago, "when you're an idiotic psycho who wears polka-dotted panties."

My eyes widened. _That. Was. IT!_

I ran my hands through the running water and splashed them in his face. "Hah!"

Natsume wiped his face with his left hand and poured the glass of water he was holding to my head.

I gasped. "Hey, that's no fair! That was cold!" I yelled at him, only to get ignored.

I took one glass I was washing and filled it up. I threw the water behind his back.

Natsume groaned and quickly got a glass of his own and threw water at me. I threw back and when he was getting ready to throw another glass of water at me, I quickly dodged and ran towards the living room.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Missed me."

It was then I noticed that Natsume wasn't smirking anymore. He looked sort of angry. I shuddered. That kind of made me scared.

I ran again when I saw that he was briskly walking towards my direction. I quickly went behind the television and stuck my tongue out again. Natsume rolled his eyes.

With one stretch of his hand, he caught my wrist. I tried my best to break free, but he was too strong for me.

I groaned. "Alright, alright, you win! I surrender, okay?" I told him. "Now, let me go."

Natsume's smirk was brought back to his face. "No," he said. "I don't think so."

In a quick motion Natsume had already pinned me to the sofa, his face parallel to mine. He pinned both my wrists on top of my head as his face neared me.

"There was no competition in the first place," he noted, still smirking.

My eyes widened upon seeing his face up close. Everything about him was perfect, the way his lips tugged up as he spoke the way his eyes was looking at me now – he was more of a god than a human. My heart thumped faster and harder against my chest. If anyone would see us in this position now, they would think he was trying to kiss me or we were doing _something_…

When I looked away, Natsume finally let go. Without a word, I stood up and raced towards my bag to get a new set of clothes and into the bathroom.

I quickly slipped on my new clothes, but I was still wearing my roll shorts. I slowly sank into the floor after and covered my face with my right hand. I was now sure that I was blushing because I could see my reflection in the mirror. I closed my eyes tight getting rid of the thoughts of his face so close to mine. After that I wouldn't even have the guts to step out of the bathroom door. I could just sleep in here…that would be, well, _lovely_.

I continued to close my eyes for a while to head to the state of peace of mind. I wish I could just stay like this.

**-xx.**

My eyes flapped open and on one second, I was wide awake. I sat up and slowly looked around the room. I was…in Natsume's bed.

I massaged my temples as I tried to remember every detail that happened last night, and the moment I did, I wished I hadn't done that.

I dropped my hand to my side and felt something…or rather _someone_.

Beside me was Natsume, still fast asleep. I looked at my hand just above his and then I looked at his face again. He must've gotten the spare key to the bathroom and carried me in here – means I must've fallen asleep.

I sighed and looked for the clock – eight-thirty, it read.

I figured I should make breakfast now, since Natsume was still asleep and I didn't finish washing the dishes last night.

When I was about to pull my hand away, I felt a grip on my fingers. I turned. Natsume was awake!

"Good morning…" my voice faded in attempt to greet cheerfully and act like nothing happened last night.

Natsume closed his eyes and rubbed them with his free hand. After a moment, there was a slight shock with his expression. And then he looked at me.

I smiled wryly. "Um…I…" I started, finding anything to say, "Want me to prepare breakfast?"

Natsume just released my hand and continued sleeping. He looked like he needed it, judging from the dark circles around his eyes.

I smiled to myself and walked to the small kitchen.

If anything, I'd say Natsume was definitely a cat. They're often elusive, but the moment they get used to you, they start to get sweet towards you – well, I'm not saying Natsume is sweet towards me, that's definitely not the point.

Definitely.

**-xx.**

Suddenly, I felt weird. Whether it was the altitude getting to me or because we were getting nearer and nearer toIgarashi Kaoru_'_s mansion, I didn't know. Right at this moment, I wanted to throw up, get out of this car and run away – but I knew very well, I couldn't do that.

Beside me, Natsume was driving. His expression, as usual, was blank and unreadable. He had a pair of John Varvatos sunglasses on him. He probably realized that his eyes were horrible…or it was just the light of the sun getting to him and his driving. Yeah, I think the second one was the answer because whether or not Natsume had dark circles around his eyes, they still looked beautiful – in that shade of crimson red.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked him, trying to strike a conversation.

When he didn't say anything, I figured that was a cue for me to go on.

"Did you or didn't you get enough sleep last night?"

There was a short pause before he answered. "Didn't."

"Why?" I asked, curious.

There was a pause again. "Stayed up, waiting for you to get out of that bathroom."

"Oh, so that was kinda my fault, was it?" I admitted softly.

Natsume gave no answer, so I didn't speak, too. And that kind of went on like that until Natsume finally spoke.

"Hey," he said, calling my attention. "I'm sorry for last night."

My jaw locked open. "Okay, who are you and what have you done to Natsume?"

"Tch," he said, rolling his eyes. "That's real funny."

I almost smiled when I realized that Natsume was now back to his usual sarcastic self.

"That's okay," I told him. "You just surprised me, that's all. I mean if that would go on every night…" I trailed off.

_If that would go on every night, this pretending thing will surely be harder for me._

Natsume raised one of his eye brows at me. "You were saying?"

I cringed. "Saying nothing."

Natsume shook his head slightly and continued driving.

It was another thirty minutes or so after we arrived at Kaoru's mansion. It was quite obvious that everyone anticipated our arrival because the gates had already been opened and the maids in same uniforms were standing in two lines and bowing when Natsume parked his black Mercedes Benz.

Natsume signaled me to wait before getting out. I nodded at him and waited until he opened my door.

Unexpectedly, Natsume offered me his hand. I stared at it for about three seconds before I took it. It would take me _very_ long before I get used to Natsume-the-gentleman.

"Welcome back, Natsume-sama," the maids said, without raising their heads.

Natsume didn't react and just pretended they weren't there. Okay, so maybe _this_ Natsume wasn't much of a gentleman either.

I stumbled slightly as I walked and if it wasn't for Natsume's hand guiding me the whole time, I was dead on the floor by now.

I took a glance at my Christian Louboutin silver sandals and groaned silently. Great, another one of my high-heeled collection – which, by now, was two.

Natsume stopped walking when we came to the living room.

I looked at the interior design of the huge mansion. It was like I was in an old movie, because the scene was like a déjà vu from one old film my mother used to watch. The furniture in the place were antique and in the shade of brown, gold and bronze. My eyes stopped scanning when I noticed a fencing sword hanging from one corner of the house. A small smile crept on my lips. Fencing has always reminded me of Jii-chan. I remembered that he always advised me to study fencing, but I would always refuse him.

Slowly, I tiptoed and reached for the sword's handle. I stretched my arm further and I almost had it when I lost balance. I closed my eyes tightly, expecting a crash-and-burn sound from the background when I felt a strong hand at the arch of my back. I inhaled. I smelled him.

"It's best you don't touch anything in here. Some things even cost more that your life," Natsume noted.

I nodded, dazed.

It was then I heard the door creak open from across the room. One of the maids opened the door, and behind her was no other than Igarashi-sama herself.

"Excuse me, Natsume-sama," the maid said politely. "But Madam Kaoru is here."

I stood up quickly, embarrassed at how our position turned out to be. My stomach started twisting and turning and I wanted to run. Only, I couldn't.

_That's it Jii-chan. Fencing sucks._

_

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_**LALALALA! Another G.A. character will be introduced in this fic in the following chapter. Can you guess who she is? Tell, me in your review, `kay?**_

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V**


	9. Lies

_Summer!_

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Thanks to all who reviewed the previous chapter! **sparkling-Ryuichi Sakuma, buzz, The Random Artist, mille05, YesThatsme, LimeStoryRainbow416, crimson eyed girl, greentulip, -Tribal Addict-, XxX NaTsUmE x MIkAN XxX, abbyciel, natsu''ruka, DreamingReverie, YinYang Equinox **(MISSED YOU! :) Thanks for the review! XD)**, ****keion**** , Blissful Delight, vial of blood, redsakuranbo, natsumikanlove, cjmej123, amber grey of grey sisters, huyutfsakura, .Spazz, Smori, , Nameless Author **(No, that`s okay. Thanks for the review!)**, keaRy anCe, manga-girl-freak, animechic12, , l3vA, samantha, HarunaNiwa073, I am the Wind Mizuki Kay, Dorkface-jens, 4evr25, samantha **(again)**, dragonslay, Ihearttenten, brokenpromises04, chainedheart999, xxT3nZ4i-Aixx.**

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_And then, right at that moment, everything came back to me. From last week until a few hours ago – everything. Natsume was from the airport. Now he was here. And then I hear a girl's voice._

_My eyes suddenly flopped open to search for her when I spotted a tall and slender raven-haired girl. Her hair was dark, but I noticed Natsume's hue was darker and more vivid than hers. She had pretty silver-black eyes and full, red lips. She was so beautiful I could only look at her with awe. Every part of her matched her yellow dress and brown stilettos which amplified her beauty._

_So this was her. This was Nobara._

**IX: LIES**

I inhaled all the air that could fit into my lungs and held it for a moment before I spoke. "It's good to see you again, Igarashi-sama."

Kaoru nodded once at me and turned to Natsume who remained silent, icily looking at his mother. "Am I not getting a good greeting from my own son?"

Natsume pressed his lips together into a firm line. "Would you still consider it a good greeting if you knew it was a lie?"

Judging from the expression of the maid standing behind Igarashi Kaoru, she was disappointed at Natsume's impolite answer. "Excuse me, Sir, but Milady…"

Kaoru raised one hand to signal her to keep quiet. "Leave, Yuna."

Yuna nodded and slowly turned around, hesitating and giving an unusual look to Natsume. One that said, 'You shouldn't have been so hard on her.' Natsume seemed to notice, knowing him, he ignored it. I was the one who looked back with an apologetic look towards her, and Yuna seemed to take it in. She smiled slightly, her emerald-green eyes showed off an expression of relief and gratitude. She nodded once at me before she finally stepped out of the room.

"Why don't we all take a seat?" Kaoru suggested. I slowly sat down on the floral white sofa across her chair after she did, but Natsume stayed standing, glaring at her mother.

"Why don't _you_ tell me what we're doing here?" he snapped back at her.

For a fraction of a second, I could've sworn I saw Kaoru frown at his son's reaction, but she quickly went back to her emotionless and composed expression.

"Well since I've announced your engagement to the public," Igarashi Kaoru started, "it's only necessary I know my future daughter-in-law."

When her ruby-red eyes met mine, I felt a shiver up my spine. They were the exact replica of Natsume's, I observed. Only, they were colder, but more in-depth with emotion.

I tugged Natsume's shirt slightly, telling him to sit. His eyes narrowed at me for a moment, but he finally gave in and sat down.

"Why don't we start off with how you two met?" Kaoru asked, crossing her legs.

I glanced at Natsume, who was beside me. He acted like he didn't notice, but I assumed he did when I felt his warm hand squeeze mine slightly, as if telling me to do most of the talking. I knew why he wanted the story to be one-sided. I've seen many pretend-to-be-my-girlfriend-slash-fiancée-slash-wife movies and TV shows, and I've seen the terrifying and hazardous effects of answering questions together. The kind when the interrogating antagonist asks both the place they met, and the two of them blurt out two entirely different places – it kills.

"It was on a plane." _That_ wasn't a lie. I remembered that _glorious_ day like it was yesterday.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"I was on my way to Tokyo from Hokkaido to respond to Flame's recommendation letter. He was sitting right next to me, and I felt oddly attracted to him the moment I saw his face," I said, my voice fading in embarrassment. I could feel the heat up my cheeks. Nothing in what I answered this time was a lie, either.

Igarashi-sama shifted her crossed leg with another. "I see," she said. Almost like a cue, I heard a phone ring. At first I thought it was Kaoru's, but when Natsume stood up and wordlessly excused himself, I felt my heart beat twenty times even faster.

At first, Natsume was just murmuring from the distance and I couldn't decode what he was saying, but I was suddenly surprised when he raised his voice to who he was talking to.

"I can't go. I'm doing something important," he said. I froze. _Go_? Did Natsume say he was _going_? Involuntarily, I cast a look at him with a twisted expression. Only _thinking_ of a day spent with Igarashi-sama was _hell_. God, what did I do to deserve this?

Natsume went on, with his arguing and I went on with my dark, grim thoughts. I suddenly got back to my senses when Kaoru suddenly spoke, without really looking at the person she was talking to.

"Work is work, Natsume," she said. "You are now the President of Flame and you must take responsibility for your company." – Kaoru, by this time, looked at Natsume – "I wouldn't let myself be the reason for you failing your job," she further added.

My eyes widened at her, then to Natsume. "NO! NO! NO!" I wanted to shout. "Natsume, don't leave! No, please no!" I wanted to yell at Natsume to stay, but I knew very well I couldn't.

"Well," a teeny-tiny part of me that was still left optimistic said. "Natsume wouldn't leave you. He loves you." – WRONG. _But that kind of made me feel better_.

I held my breath at Natsume opened his mouth to talk. He's gonna say no. He's gonna say no. He's gonna. Say. No. "I'm going," he said to who he was talking to.

_And at that moment, all that was left of me was a pessimist._

I bit my lower lip at Natsume who looked back at me, still expressionless. I could almost imagine how I looked like right at this moment. I was that shocked, haggard and confused little girl who just lost her most priced candy bar. I SWEAR, I would never wear these polka-dotted panties again – THEY NEVER WORK.

Natsume's expression suddenly changed when he ended the call. He looked worried – for what, I did not know. Slowly he walked towards me and placed a hand on my cheek and – OH MY GOD, I can't freaking believe this is happening – he kissed me gently on the forehead.

"Be careful," he whispered to my ear, right after. "I'm going back as soon as possible."

I nodded, my mind out of this world. His lips felt like fire on my skin. Truth be told, every time we made physical contact was like burning already – and what just happened was a thousand times hotter.

Natsume cast one final glance at me before he finally left.

The next seconds after were silent and slow. Kaoru just sat down, elegantly taking a sip from her tea and I was sitting across her. I wanted to be gone, evaporate – be teleported somewhere away from here, but I knew very well that I couldn't do that. I realized – Natsume chose me to be his pretend "girlfriend" because he trusted me…and I was not about to break that trust, especially not that we've gotten this far!

"Igarashi-sama – "

"Tell me, are you scared?" Igarashi Kaoru suddenly asked, her piercing eyes seeing right through me.

I was taken aback. "E-eh?"

Kaoru sighed quietly as she put down her tea and stood up, poised and graceful. She slowly walked towards the window and stared out blankly.

"Tell me, Sakura Mikan," she repeated, "how much has my son told you about me?"

I fell silent. I knew nothing to where these questions came from. It was like she was picking up random questions from somewhere. But no matter how irrelevant and unexpected they were, if they came from Igarashi-sama, they needed to be anwered.

I leaned back to my seat and stared at the ceiling before answering. "Not much," I began. "Natsume is the silent type of person – he doesn't talk much. But he _did_ tell me you were persistent."

When Kaoru didn't respond, I kind of guessed she had been angry about what Natsume said about her. So I was suddenly surprised when she laughed. It was not as loud as a normal laugh – but it was a laugh altogether. This was the first time I actually realized where Natsume got his looks – Igarashi-sama looked like a goddess as she laughed. She looked like a completely different person.

"I have kept a quite convincing façade, haven't I?" she asked, still giggling.

My brows furrowed. I suddenly didn't understand what was going on. I suddenly heard an engine roar to life from the outside. I figured Natsume was already leaving the mansion. It was also at this time that Kaoru finally turned to face me.

"Did you know, Sakura Mikan, why I set an engagement for my son?" she asked me, her face now serious.

I honestly didn't. "I'm sorry. But no."

Kaoru smiled. "Up until now, my son wouldn't do anything unless I said so. And when the news about him risking his life to save an employee – I was shocked, truth be told."

My eyes widened at her. "You knew that?"

Kaoru laughed again. "Of course I do. I deserve to know everything that happens to my son," she said.

"And knowing he did that," she continued. "I was determined to know how far he'd go and I didn't expect he'd go this far…" – Igarashi-sama paused before she spoke again – "…just for one girl."

I felt my cheeks flush. "N-no! I'm just – I mean, he doesn't - !"

Kaoru shook her head slowly before she sat across me again. "I saw the way he looked at you, Sakura Mikan. Almost like how he looked at Nobara."

I blinked twice. "No…bara?" I asked, curious.

Kaoru looked surprised at my reaction. "You mean he hasn't told you about Nobara yet?" she asked.

I shook my head at her, curious.

"He shall be the one to tell you about her."

I frowned slightly at Kaoru, disappointed. I guess I was supposed to be happy because Kaoru wasn't all that bad, but I couldn't help but wonder who this Nobara-girl was and what she was to Natsume.

**- xx –**

I sat at my desk, quietly drumming my fingertips against the wooden table, Natsume eyeing me from one corner of the room. I was surprised that when we came back from Kaoru's mansion, my table was already inside his office. I need not to ask – it was obvious why he did it. It was for publicity and deceit – that's what always ever matters in this sad, sad, deceiving world.

It only took a matter of minutes before he finally spoke. "What happened while I was away?" he asked, scanning the files on the folder he was currently examining.

I was kind of surprised with his question, and though he wasn't looking, I knew he noticed my expression changed. "Nothing." Lie.

Natsume's expression hardened. His lips pressed into a thin line as he eyed me suspiciously.

I looked away, avoiding his red ruby orbs. "Seriously," I assured him.

He rolled his eyes before he closed the folder he was holding and stood up, walking towards my direction with it. He leaned forward slightly across of me and with a thud, he placed the folder above my desk. "Has anybody told you that you're a bad liar?" he asked. I could smell him again. That seductive sandalwood smell – it was killing me!

I finally decided it was no use arguing with him. My expression was already a dead giveaway.

I turned to him, our faces only inches apart. I pressed my lips together before asking. "Who is she?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow, standing up straight and crossing his arms. He looked taller than he normally was when I was sitting, I noticed. Or maybe he was really just getting taller with late puberty or something – I couldn't care less. I knew what I wanted.

"Who?" he asked, smirking, with a tinge of confusion and curiosity in his deep, bass voice.

I chewed on my lip to control myself. "Nobara," I finally said after a while. "Nobara – who is she?"

I watched as his smirk slowly vanished. Now, he was glaring at me. I looked away. If I stared into those angry eyes any longer, I might burst and cry.

"The old hag told you about her?" he asked bitterly.

I inhaled heavily before standing up. "If you're going to make me part of this _dramatic_ act, _I_ should know!" I yelled at him.

Natsume turned around, looking outside the gigantic glass window in his office. "You _don't_ need to know," he said quietly.

At last I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to get out of the office right away or I might do something insanely stupid. Heck, why am I even THIS affected to what was happening. Nobara was none of my business, Natsume was right, but I felt I wanted to know – no, I _needed _to.

I saw Yakako's shocked expression as soon as I opened the door. I figured she was about to knock when I suddenly barged out. She must've heard what just happened, but I didn't give a damn. Let as many people hear, like _I_ care.

"Sakura-san, are you oka – "

"- I'm not okay," I immediately followed, increasing pace. I heard my voice crack and that was a bad sign I was about to cry. I began to walk faster towards the elevator and pressed the open button hastily. After about five seconds of waiting, I finally got pissed off and began using the stairs, taking two steps at a time. At that moment, I didn't feel tired considering how fast I walked towards Flame's rooftop.

I felt the damp air against my face as I opened the door and then I finally let the tears flow out of my auburn eyes. I didn't cry because I was _sad_. I was crying because I was angry. Ranged, distressed and freaking mad. And since I was, I was glad nobody dared to follow me in here and invade my privacy.

I took a few steps more before finally closing the door softly behind me as I let my hair loose and stared at the sky.

**- xx –**

"An engagement party?" I asked in a monotonous tone, listing down Hyuuga-boss-guy's schedule for next week.

Natsume continued on typing on his laptop, not bothering to look at me as he spoke. "Next weekend, yes," he said.

It took me about two seconds to let the idea sink in. "Mm," I just mumbled, continuing with my work.

This time, Natsume sat back and crossed his arms on his chest. "That's it?" he asked, his expression showing a bit of annoyance.

Insert a long pause right here.

When I finally raised my head to look at him, I asked, "What's it?"

Natsume frowned. "Normally you'd start panicking by now."

I stared at his perfect face for while, my head blank. When I realized what I was doing, I immediately got back to what I was previously doing. "Oh," I simply said.

Natsume sighed. From the corner of my eyes (though I was not directly looking at him) I saw his expression soften a bit. "Look, Polka, if this is about Nobara – "

"`Tis not," I snapped and then shut my mouth when it dawned on me that I raised my voice at him. He was my boss. Therefore, I shouldn't. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to talk about her."

And the conversation pretty much ended that way.

**- xx –**

We spent the next days, not talking directly to each other. Both of us kept quiet the whole time – well, Natsume _was_ quiet most of the time, but this time, the atmosphere has gotten heavier and heavier and there was an obvious conflict going on between us, now.

Misaki-senpai and Yakako didn't stop at anything in asking what was wrong, but I wouldn't bother to answer them. I didn't know the appropriate answer anyway. I mean, what was I supposed to tell them? That we were having this silent war because of this Nobara-girl and I was jealous? _Or_ I could tell them I was being betrayed by my boss for not telling me who this Nobara-girl is.

Well, obviously, I was not supposed to tell them the second statement because it would blow away the secret – and that would probably be the _second_ time I'd blow off a secret. The first one was on the plane - the miserable near-death-plane-crashing experience that started it all. I shivered at the thought.

Anyway, I also couldn't tell them about the first statement. Mostly because they'd be saying that it's normal for lovers to fight and all and _that was the point_. We weren't really lovers. After all, this whole thing was just _pretend_, wasn't it?

Moving on, I found out Permy was going back to Hokkaido after what happened with the press at the announcement of the engagement. And apparently, Natsume was called to attend a meeting at Flame the time we were at Kaoru's mansion because he and the other authorities was going to discuss the person who would take Sumire's job.

I was half-happy and half-guilty. Happy, because the slut's gone. Guilty, because it was mostly my fault.

"Sakura-sama?" a high-pitched voice called from in front of me. "What do you think?"

I put on an apologetic expression. "Oh, sorry, what? I haven't been paying attention…" I trailed off.

Oh. Right.

I was at Kaoru's mansion – again – because we were discussing about the engagement party that would be happening tomorrow. Natsume was sitting across of me, his chin resting on his palm, looking outside the window, while Kaoru sat beside me, confirming the invitations of the media and the people she knew.

The blond girl smiled at me. "I was asking of your choice for the curtains at the hall." She held up two cloths of the shade of pink.

My brows furrowed at what she was showing to me. The two colors were almost similar, only the other was more peach-ey and lighter than the other.

"I, um…" I began, randomly pointing at one of the cloths. "This one's nice," I said.

The girl jumped in delight. It seemed like I picked her choice. "Excuse me," she said, as she bowed and walked out of the room.

Silence enveloped the three of us and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of Kaoru's ball pen against the papers she was holding.

"Natsume," Kaoru called. Natsume looked at her without moving his head and then looked out the window again, implying that he was listening. "Nobara just confirmed her attendance."

It was at the sound of Nobara's name when an expression flew across Natsume's face. It only happened for a while so I wasn't able to distinguish what it was. Natsume said nothing, I didn't, too.

If I hadn't been well-composed, I would've thrown a tantrum and run away again. But I knew better than that. I knew better than that.

At around six in the evening Natsume and I drove back to the Alice Hotel. And, of course, we drove in silence. This week was just like hell. It felt so WRONG to _not_ talk to Natsume.

We were back in the hotel now, eating dinner silently. I was thinking about Nobara…and him. GOD! I can't believe I'm getting so upset about this! Am I really THIS in love with him now?

I was stabbing my food with my fork slowly when Natsume called me. Immediately, my head shot up and I looked at him, his face serious and composed.

"Polka," he said, pushing aside his plate.

I averted my gaze. "Yeah?" I asked.

He didn't say anything for a while, but spoke slowly and clearly after. "I thought about what you said before," he told me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, not really following what he was getting at. "That?" I said, minimizing my phrases so it wouldn't look as if I _wanted_ to talk to him again.

"That," he paused, "that you deserve to know since you're already in this whole mess."

I pursed my lips, not really knowing what to say. It seemed that he took my silence as a cue to continue.

"Nobara," Natsume started, taking a deep breath, "is my senior. Her father's one of the major contributors for Flame. But she went away to the United States because of her father's job."

I said nothing. I had nothing to say, anyway. Now, Natsume was telling me that Nobara is just someone from his past. Oh yeah, he forgot the part that she was _possibly_ his first love. I didn't care. I didn't.

Natsume continued at my lack-of-interest to what he was saying, "And now she's coming back."

I subtly rolled my eyes and stood up, taking my plate with me and placing it in the dishwasher. "Okay," I finally said, taking my necessities and heading for the bathroom.

**- xx –**

I woke up wanting to hurl. I felt like my body was so heavy that I can't move it and my head was throbbing hard against my skull. I felt bad, worst, even. And I was sure it wasn't just because today was the engagement party.

Standing up took all my strength. I didn't want to, but seeing Natsume was nowhere in sight, he must've woken up _ages_ before I did and was now getting ready for, what, the biggest LIE in history? I didn't know what I was getting so worked-up about. I just hated this feeling. This EXPECTING and then DISSAPOINTMENT. It was SICK, DAMN SICK. I couldn't take it.

I headed for my clothes when I noticed an olive dress hung beside it and a note stuck unto it.

_Wear this_, the note read.

I sighed and took the dress with me to the bathroom and began to prepare, dazed. When I finished, I didn't have that much guts to look at myself in the mirror. I knew I looked horrible because I _felt_ horrible. It was seconds after when I heard my phone ring.

"Yeah?" I said faintly.

"I've sent a car to get you to the mansion. I've got some things to do before I head there," Natsume said inaudibly. I couldn't understand him much because there were so many chatters from where he was from.

I was about to ask him where he was when I heard a loud engine roar to life. I knew that sound anywhere.

I bit my tongue before I could say anything rash. "`Kay," I simply said, shutting my phone and sinking to the floor.

I knew that sound anywhere. It was a plane. He was at the airport. He was waiting for Nobara.

I stayed in that position for a while until I heard the room doorbell sound. When I lifted my head, the throbbing worsened, but I forced myself to get up and get the door. It was one of the hotel staffs.

"Good morning, Miss," she greeted cheerfully. "Your ride is already outside."

I tried to return her smile, but I couldn't. I imagined what she was thinking – that I was a bitter, old hag who wasn't only feeling well about herself, but also about the world. And the fact that I imagined I thought that sucked. I mean, who knew I wasn't originally the pessimistic liar I was now?

After I took the keys from the coffee table, I headed for my bag and walked towards the parking lot of the hotel stumbling all the way. I felt the whole world was spinning and that I couldn't keep up with it. I stopped walking for a moment and pressed my palm on my forehead. No doubt, I was sick.

I recognized Natsume's car anywhere, and I thought I recognized the driver, but I couldn't get my hands completely to where I've seen him before.

I opened the car door and slid my way inside, sighing in relief when I got in the backseat.

"You don't look very well, are you okay?" a familiar voice asked.

I tried to shake the pain on my head aside to get a good look to who was driving through the mirror, and raised an eyebrow when I realized who it was. "You're that mind-reader guy, from the elevator?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

He smiled as the engine roared to life. "Kokoro Yomi," he introduced himself.

I laughed lightly. "Can you read my mind now?" I asked, jokingly.

He looked at me through the mirror and smiled again. "Can't. There are too many thoughts. How about resting for a little while?" he said.

I wasn't even sure if he was serious to what he was saying, but I followed and closed my eyes. I knew he was fake because I was thinking that I didn't want him to say it out loud and I wanted to just sleep all my thoughts away.

**- xx –**

The moment my eyes opened, I knew I was wide awake. I realized that the throbbing in my head had stopped. My eyes examined my surroundings. I was in a huge peach-colored room and was lying on a huge bed. Wait, wait, wait – last thing I remembered I was in Natsume's car with that mind-reader-guy and then he told me to go to sleep and I did and the next thing I know I'm alone on a bed and –

OH MY GOD WHAT THE HECK WHERE WAS I AND WHAT THE FREAKING HELL DID HE FREAKING DO TO ME –

Almost automatically, the shouting in my head stopped when I heard footsteps approaching and my instincts told me to fake sleeping right away.

I closed my eyes and remained unmoving until I heard the door open and I heard the footsteps coming closer and closer to me.

I was about to get up and karate-chop whoever the person was the moment I felt a warm hand on my forehead when I suddenly heard and unmistakable voice.

"Her fever's gone down," he said. _He_ said. Natsume did.

Suddenly, all those thoughts of sexual harassment vanished and my head was filled up with thoughts of Natsume and how he must've been reacted when he saw me sleeping in that car and how he was with me right at these moment to check up on me. It was like an angel came down and took me back to heaven with him.

"That's a relief."

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Who was _that_?!

The voice was a girl's. It was high-pitched an musical and her statement sounded fully with genuine concern.

And then, right at that moment, everything came back to me. From last week until a few hours ago. Everything. Natsume was from the airport. Now he was here. And then I hear a girl's voice.

My eyes suddenly flopped open to search for her when I spotted a tall and slender raven-haired girl. Her hair was dark, but I noticed Natsume's hue was darker and more vivid than hers. She had pretty silver-black eyes and full, red lips. She was so beautiful I could only look at her with awe. Every part of her matched her yellow dress and brown stilettos which amplified her beauty.

So this was her. This was Nobara.

Nobara smiled when she noticed me staring. "Sorry, did we wake you?" she said apologetically.

I didn't answer back. I didn't. I couldn't. All I could do was stare.

"How are you feeling?" Natsume asked, standing beside where I was lying.

I shifted my gaze towards him. He looked tired. Haggard, even. I didn't answer back. I just sat up and looked outside the window when suddenly, I felt the throbbing in my head start again and then the whole room was spinning.

"I'm fine," I said simply.

Natsume's eyes narrowed a bit. "Good. The maids will be here to help you dress up in a bit," he said, turning around and starting to leave.

I could've sworn I saw Nobara and Natsume's eyes meet for a split of a second, but I tried to forget about it and continued on trying to get absorbed into looking at something beyond the glass window I was staring at.

When the door finally shut with Natsume's departure, Nobara sighed softly and sat on one edge of the bed, looking at me.

"Are you really feeling alright?" she asked, examining my face.

I sighed, too, looking at her. "I'm fine," I said again, assuring her.

Nobara smiled and placed both her hands on her lap, clasped together. "That's good," she said.

I said nothing. Truth be told, I didn't want to be talking to her now. I felt too sick to talk to anyone, as a matter of fact.

"Natsume was really worried when he found out you were sick," Nobara added, tilting her head to one side.

I rolled my eyes. "I could see that by the way he walked out of the room after I told him that I was fine," I said through my teeth.

Nobara laughed. "If he chose you as his fiancée, what makes you think he wouldn't be worried?"

I shrugged but added mentally, _The fact that he only chose me as his bride-to-be because he didn't like Permy._

Nobara stood up, straightening her dress. "Just call on me or anyone when you start to feel bad again," she said, heading for the door. I could see she realized that I wanted to be alone.

I nodded at her, looking, again at the window.

I could see now that I was so blinded by the lies I didn't realize what was really in store for me. Right now, all I wanted was a reset button.

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**EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT WAS LUNA. GUESS WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. HAHA. KIDDING. FEED ME WITH YOUR REVIEWS!**

**V**


	10. Breakout

I've written a oneshot about Nobara and Natsume's past for those of you who want to know. It's partially related to the story, and I published it the same time I published this chapter of Can You Keep A Secret?. So if you're wondering why it took me time to update, well, it's because of the oneshot. So there. XD A lot of things are going to happen and revealed in this chapter and even if things take turn for the worst, don't EVER forget that there are _more_ chapters to follow and don't forget to stay tune!

Thank you for feeding me, **greentulip, keaRy anCe, Blissful Delight, chainedheart999, '-MiNi-RAi-', chello-chan, Night's Warrior, l3vA, Smori**, **JuSt To RaNdOm**, **rosie, -Tribal Addict- **(That's okay! I completely understand. XD Thanks for the review! And say hello to her for me, please. :), **Cutenatsumexmikan, brokenpromises04, technicolor_ruby, Ayama Mitsuki, redsakuanbo, Freak-show101, dragonslay, huyutfsakura.**

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_I couldn't believe what I saw he was doing. And from the looks of it, this was what they both wanted…and I was the one interfering with what they had. It hurt, the way I realized that everything that happened was part of the pretending after all and that I was stupid, wanting more than what we already had._

_I could feel heat through my eyes, and I was ninety-nine percent sure it was not because of the tears wanting to be released. By now, I felt everything was spinning around me and that my whole body was giving up of all that happened the past three days. I felt pain inside and out._

_I slowly took steps backward and forced myself to just let go before I do something really stupid. I panted heavily, feeling more and more tired by the second. It took everything I had to finally run for it – my guts, my strength, my dignity. Somewhere in the pain I realized what I wanted more than anything at this moment…that was to leave everything behind me as I ran and forget about everything as I do so._

**X: BREAKOUT**

I looked at the brunette staring at me. I couldn't recognize her – I didn't _know_ her. She wore a short olive chiffon dress and had long, flowing chestnut-brown hair. I swept my hand on my hair and she mimicked the exact movement. I knew the girl in the mirror was me, but I couldn't take it in. It was mainly because I looked – probably for the first time – beautiful.

"Well, you certainly look different."

I shifted my gaze at the raven-haired girl whose lavender eyes looked at mine through the mirror. Hotaru wore a long, peach silk dress and a pair of white long gloves. I looked at my reflection again and said nothing.

"Normally, you have your hair pulled up in a pigtail," Hotaru noted, rolling her eyes slightly, "and I'm not very accustomed to seeing you looking mature."

I pursed my lips, thinking of something to say, but all I could think of was, "Thanks."

Hotaru subtly sighed and slowly walked beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder, looking eye-to-eye with my reflection in the mirror. "Do you know what's missing, now?" she asked.

I thought about what she said for a while, but my brain was still throbbing in pain and I couldn't think very clearly. I frowned slightly and shook my head.

Hotaru's expression softened. "Smile."

It took me about a minute to let the word sink in. I mean, what was I doing? I was pondering on something so hard and I forgot that there are still good things that can come. And you had to live like the world was going to end the next day to live your life the fullest.

I smiled, finally and I could now see the amplified beauty of the brunette in the mirror.

Hotaru patted my back twice before turning to go. "You better hurry up," she said before leaving, "there are lots of guests waiting."

I nodded at her and took my purse as I followed her towards the ballroom. The moment the door opened, I saw flashes of light everywhere. It was coming on all directions and it was all coming to me. I closed my eyes slightly to keep out the blinding flashes and the sudden dizziness that was coming to me. I almost expected I would loose my balance when a firm grip on my back held me standing.

"About time," Natsume whispered to my ear.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks. I almost forgot how it felt like to have him so close to me and holding me tight. Almost.

"Sakura Mikan! How did you come this far from being just being a farm girl?"

The question suddenly aroused my attention. "What? I wasn't a farm g –"

But before I could finish, Natsume cut me off. "We'll be answering questions later," he said, pulling me out of the crowd and into the stage where Igarashi Kaoru was waiting, poised as elegant as she always was.

She nodded at me before finally calling to everyone's attention. "As of this moment," Kaoru said, looking from left to right. "The engagement party between my son, Hyuuga Natsume and his bride-to-be, Sakura Mikan, officially starts."

And at that moment the ballroom was filled with cheers and applaud as Natsume and I descended down the stairs.

"Stay close to me and don't engage with long conversations with anyone," he told me as I nodded.

"Natsume," I called. I really didn't have anything to say. I just wanted to call out his name for the sake of it.

Natsume looked at me, eyes bored. "What?" he asked.

I smiled and shook my head. "Nothing," I told him. "Nevermind."

Natsume looked into my eyes for a moment as if searching if I was really telling the truth. After a while, he looked away, ready to charge into the crowd that, as far as I could see, were itching to get the dirt out of the two of us.

"One more thing," Natsume paused. "If you're feeling tired, just tell me."

I smiled again and nodded. I missed Natsume – more than anyone could imagine. And now, as we walked near each other and as he held my hand, I'd forgotten all the frustrations I've had with him and it was like it was part of a dream and it never happened.

I inhaled and prepared myself when one middle-aged man in a black tailored suit walked towards us, holding a glass of white wine. "Ah, Mr. Hyuuga!" he greeted cheerfully, extending both his hands on his sides in acknowledgement. "One of the youngest company leaders in the world – what honor!"

"It's also an honor meeting you, Mister Takehara," Natsume said, bowing slightly.

The man laughed and looked at me, smiling. "I believe we haven't met before," he said.

"Ah, yes," I began as I bowed in respect. "I'm Sakura Mikan."

"Well I doubt anyone in this room does not know who you are," Mr. Takehara said jokingly. As much as I felt it was proper to introduce myself, I thought it was kind of stupid that I have to repeat the same sentence over and over again.

The man extended his free hand towards me. "I'm Takehara Keichi, founder and owner of Antarta Industries Incorporated."

I took his hand and shook it. "Yes, I've heard about your successful business," I told him, smiling.

Mr. Takehara laughed. "Well, who hasn't?" – he paused and looked at Natsume for a moment, then back to me – "It would've been the number one company in Japan if it wasn't for this young man over here," he noted as he gestured towards Natsume. From his tone, it would've sounded as if he was completely joking with his statement, but something about his expression made me think otherwise.

Natsume smiled for a fraction of a second, but I could tell the smile was fake. I knew Natsume. He didn't smile. He absolutely, positively, undoubtedly _didn't smile._

"Well, if you'll excuse us," he said, wrapping a secure arm around my waist and starting to walk towards the opposite direction.

"How are you feeling?" Natsume asked, eying one of the guests who was deliberately looking back and forth another direction and ours, obviously wanting to have a small chat.

I sighed and smiled at him. "I'm fine."

Natsume nodded as he greeted a tall, slim woman who looked like she was in her mid-thirties. I closed my eyes and silently prayed to God, because by the looks of her, she seemed like she was one of those obnoxious semi-old women who mock others to feel better about themselves. Oh, please, God, please don't let her be what I imagined - PLEASE!

The woman raised one of her eyebrows and smiled crookedly. "Well, it's a pleasure finally meeting you in person, Hyuuga Natsume," she said in a confident, alto tone. When Natsume nodded, she looked at me from head to toe before finally saying, "You, too, soon to be Hyuuga."

I tried to force a smile. It looked like the heaven failed me - she _was_ one of those make-fun-of-others-because-I-am-an-old-hag type. "It's a pleasure to meet you," I introduced myself. "I'm Sakura Mikan."

She laughed, as if I missed a private joke. "Yes, you are," she paused before finally extending a hand towards me. "I am Sawako Hime of Evermore Beauty Cosmetics. A pleasure to meet you."

I continued smiling at her as I took her hand. "The pleasure is all mine."

She returned the smile, still inspecting my overall appearance. Finally, she looked over to Natsume who seemed to be pretty bored with the events that had been happening. "How very _unexpected_ from you to pick a fiancee from very _unexpected_ roots."

My eyes almost bulged in shock with her statement. WHAT THE FREAKING HELL WAS THIS WITCH IMPLYING?!

If I wasn't in control of myself, I would've ripped the dress of off me and charged into her face like a mad bull charging at a blood-red cloth. Well, come to think of it, she _was_ wearing red. I mean, I can just chop her head off and pretend like nothing happened, right? RIGHT? But I knew better than that. I knew better than releasing the craziness that rested in my very being. So I kept my mouth shut.

I half-expected Natsume to just laugh and excuse us both from the conversation and almost fainted in shock when I heard what he said next.

"You don't measure a quality of a being from where it began," Natsume said with a straight face. "And sometimes, being unexpected is good, because stereotype people are often left behind by other people who seek change."

I could see the transformation from Hime-hag's face when Natsume said that. Now, she was no longer fake-smiling like she was previously doing.

When Natsume finally excused us both, I couldn't help but giggle. "She seemed taken aback by your answer," I commented, slyly looking at her dazed expression beyond my shoulder.

Natsume smirked. "Well, people become particularly touchy when they've undergone divorce."

I suddenly found myself smiling. Somehow, I missed Natsume's smirks. I didn't get the chance to see them the last few days because of the clash were were having.

"She's had a divorce?" I asked. "But she seems so young."

"The marriage was only valid for about half a year," Natsume explained. "That's why she established a business – to keep her mind busy from the drama."

I opened my mouth to say something, when the ballroom suddenly started spinning. I was about to stumble and fall, when Natsume tightened his hold on me.

"Why don't you go sit down?" he said, leading me to a nearby table.

"No, I can manage," I pressed, refusing to take a seat.

Natsume sighed at my stubbornness. "If you collapse in the middle of the party, it would cause much greater commotion," he said with a serious expression. "Now sit down and let me do the talking."

I bit my lower lip, but finally gave in and nodded.

Natsume gave me a final kiss on top of my head before finally disappearing into the crowd.

When I finally caught no sight of Natsume, I sighed and closed my eyes. Yes, my fever has gone down when I rested, but now I felt like it's gone up again and that I was worse. Much, much, much worse than before.

I was about to put my head down when I felt a tug down my dress. I opened my eyes and sat erect, only to find a pair of obsidian eyes looking straight at mine. A smile crept up my lips when I recognized who it was.

"Youichi," I said, as he looked at me with bored eyes.

"What are you doing, just sitting around?" he asked, flat and emotionless.

I decided to ignore his question. "What are _you_ doing here?" I asked him, laughing lightly.

Youichi stuck a finger unto his ear and scratched it, before replying. "Meh. I had to. My mom insisted."

I raised my eyebrow. "Your mom was invited?" I asked, thinking it was such a small world and I was able to meet him again.

Youichi looked away. "Yeah," he answered. "Natsume-nii-san's mom and my mom apparently attended high school together, so…" he trailed off.

"Well, it's good to see you again," I said, smiling. "I'd love to talk to Mrs. Hijiri."

I half-expected he'd call his mother right away and I'd have a conversation going, so I was kind of surprised when Youichi remained standing in front of my chair, staring at me. After a while, he finally looked away. "I'd rather not," he said.

"Eh?" I said, surprised at his statement.

"You look like you need some time out. The old hag probably has nothing to say, anyway," he said, folding his sleeves slowly as he talked.

I had nothing else to say to him. I just smiled. The boy really reminded me of Natsume and how they were so much alike. The way You-chan said "old hag" to describe his mother was a dead giveaway on how they were alike. Well, it was rude to call anyone that, but despite the hard posterior, both You-chan and Natsume had a soft side. And You-chan was showing it right now.

"Youichi-kun," I heard a voice call from behind me.

Youichi cringed at the voice and looked away, pretending not to hear.

"I _know_ you heard me." The voice sounded closer this time. It was moments after that a tall lady in a midnight-blue gown crouched down to take Youichi's hand. I recognized her as Youichi's mother.

Mrs. Hijiri was about to walk away with her son, when she finally realized my presence. "O-oh," she said, surprised, when she saw me.

"S-Sakura Mikan, is it not?" she asked politely, letting go of Youichi who rolled his eyes.

I smiled at her. "Yes," I said. "I believe we have met already?"

Mrs. Hijiri stood straight as she extended one hand towards me. "I am Hijiri Megumi," she introduced. "Congratulations on your engagement."

I smiled again and took her hand.

"I hope Youichi-kun here wasn't much of a bother," she said, glancing at her son. "He kept on telling me he'd come along so he could see you again."

I looked at Youichi, grinning. When he caught my expression, he blushed and looked away.

"Come on, Mom. Let's go," Youichi mumbled, embarrassed at his mother's revalation.

Both took a few steps away, when Youichi turned around to stick his tongue at me. "I just want you to know that I only insisted on coming to tell you how ugly you looked in that dress," he said.

A vein popped in my head. HE AND NATSUME ARE SOME MUCH ALIKE!

I was about to yell back at You-chan when somebody placed a glass of cold water at the table and handed over a tablet. I looked up to find out it was Natsume.

"Drink this," he said; I followed.

"Thank you," I mumbled, as I placed the glass back at the table.

For a moment, I caught Natsume stare at the departing figure of You-chan and his mother.

"That was the kind from the park, right?" he recalled.

I nodded. "Yes. I mean, can you believe it? He called me UGLY in this dress – "

"You don't."

Alright. I was cut off. I was abruptly cut off by Natsume while I was saying how Youichi said I looked ugly in the dress and he cut me off by saying I didn't.

I quickly looked up at Natsume. "What was that?"

Natsume narrowed his ruby eyes at me and looked away. "I'm going," he said flatly.

"H-hey, wait!" I called; he turned around.

"What?"

I smiled. "Let me come with you," I told him.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "No way."

I pressed my hands together. "Please," I begged. "I can manage – " Natsume opened his mouth to say something, but I held up my hand to stop him. " – and I _promise_ – I mean PROMISE – to tell you if I feel bad again, okay?"

Natsume kept silent for a minute, as if debating on whether he'd let me rest or to come with him. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke. "Only if you promise to tell me," he finally said.

I grinned and stood up. "Promise."

**.xx.**

After hours of talking to the guests and the media, I felt like my body couldn't take it anymore. There were practically no more people at the mansion because it was two o'clock in the morning and the guests had already drove back to their houses.

I had gone to the washroom to fix myself when I heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Replacement."

I narrowed my eyes at her reflection in the mirror. "Permy," I said, acknowledging her presence.

She rolled her eyes at my remark. "Loser."

I rolled my eyes back. "I didn't see you at the party," I told her, in attempt to avoid the name-calling.

Shouda Sumire took steps forward to stand beside me. She was wearing an elegant attire, so I presumed she was at the party, too. "Hmpf. I was hiding my shame after being _publicly_ embarrassed at our previous gathering."

I sighed. "Look, I – "

Sumire held up a hand to stop me from talking. "Stop," she said; her voice high and demanding. "I assume you already know about me returning home."

I nodded as I waited for her to continue.

"And I want you to know, that I don't plan to forfeit just yet," she said, smiling evilly.

I rolled my eyes at her determination.

Sumire crossed her arms. "And that I'm only returning home so that when I come back I'd be much, much stronger and that I'll be able to beat you."

I sighed again. "Look, Permy – "

Sumire cut in again and I almost yelled at her for doing it again when I realized what she was trying to say. "You've always been better than me," she said in a soft tone, "when we were little – at school, at sports – at everything! And you know what hurts the most? Even when I try and try and try to be better than you, I always get the _same _freaking remark from everyone around me.

"You should be more like Mikan!" or

"Mikan-chan is _such_ a good person! Why can't she be our daughter!"

"It was always, always very," – Sumire paused, as if looking for the right word, "…depressing," she said in almost a whisper.

"That's why I always picked on you," she continued. "Flirted with every boy you liked, tried to steal your friends – but no matter how much I tried to bring you down, you always manage to pull yourself above me again. It made me feel so inferior.

"And when you left, my family's business became so popular and I got myself engaged to the president of, what, only one the most prestigious company in the entire world?" Sumire looked at me, as if examining if I was listening closely. I looked away, because I kind of felt bad and guilty with what she has been shooting at me.

"I thought," Sumire said, "I thought I finally beat you this time. I was vice president, for God's sake, and I wanted so much to rub it in to you! And then, just my luck! You suddenly show up like a rat looking for his cheese!

"Everything was going so well. I really, really thought I beat you. And there came that stupid announcement," her voice trailed off.

"Look, Sumire – " I began, attempting to apologize.

She cut me off again. "Don't even try to say sorry, because that won't change anything," she said, reading my mind. "I hate you, you hate me, yadda-yadda – well, you know what? Wait for my return. And I swear I'm gonna beat you."

Surprisingly, a smile crept up my lips as I reached for her and embraced her.

I felt Sumire's body stiffen as she pushed me off, with a shocked face.

I laughed at her expression. "I'm gonna wait for you," I assured her, grinning. "So, you better be stronger, because I'll be prepared."

Sumire rolled her green eyes. "Well, you better be!"

For a moment, Sumire smiled as she walked away. I stared at her, when she suddenly turned around to say something else.

"One more thing," she added, smiling crookedly. "That Nobara-chick, be careful. She might be a hundred times better than me."

I rolled my eyes. "If you say so."

Sumire turned around again. "I said '_might'. _I didn't say she _was_."

Moments after Sumire left, I decided to hit the hay and take a rest, so I headed to my room in Kaoru's mansion. She gave it to me in case I stayed for the night, and I must say it was very convenient – especially in moments like this where I needed sleep.

I twisted the knob, only to find it locked.

I groaned aloud and headed back to the ballroom. I figured Natsume probably has the key with him, since he took the medicine from the room a while ago.

I pushed the two ballroom doors apart as I quietly called out his name.

"Natsume?" I said. "Natsume, are you here?"

Hearing no answer, I decided to look for him myself. After seeing no one, I finally decided to look for him some other place when I saw somebody sitting at the garden outside. I approached, and was about to call out when I noticed the person was with another.

I crept closer, only to find Natsume and Nobara, with Natsume's lips pressed on hers.

My eyes widened in shock – this was no imagination, what I saw! Even if I was feeling dizzy and sleepy, I was a hundred percent sure that Natsume was kissing Nobara.

I couldn't believe what I saw he was doing. And from the looks of it, this was what they both wanted…and I was the one interfering with what they had. It hurt, the way I realized that everything that happened was part of the pretending after all and that I was stupid, wanting more than what we already had.

I could feel heat through my eyes, and I was ninety-nine percent sure it was not because of the tears wanting to be released. By now, I felt everything was spinning around me and that my whole body was giving up of all that happened the past three days. I felt pain inside and out.

I slowly took steps backward and forced myself to just let go before I do something really stupid. I panted heavily, feeling more and more tired by the second. It took everything I had to finally run for it – my guts, my strength, my dignity. Somewhere in the pain I realized what I wanted more than anything at this moment…that was to leave everything behind me as I ran and forget about everything as I do so.

I abruptly pushed the doors apart again, as it creaked loudly. I didn't care now, if anybody heard me or saw me. I just wanted to breakout from everything. This "once upon a time I had my happily-ever-after".

I ran and ran and ran, out of the ballroom, out of the main gate, out of Igarashi Kaoru's mansion and dared not to stop. I ignored the throbbing in my head and the aching of my feet and dashed across the houses I ran past and all the cars honking when I came by.

When I was certain that I was away, I finally stopped and looked at the sky. There were no stars, meaning it was going to rain. I wiped my tears away. It was time I woke up from the truth. He was not my Prince Charming and I was not Cinderella – I don't even know who I am!

I started to walk again at the side walk, slowly this time and I didn't stop. Lights were passing by as I was passing by them. I never really noticed Tokyo's night life, until now. But I knew very well that pretty lights couldn't make me feel better.

I panted heavily, but I continued walking, until my body couldn't take it anymore and finally gave up.

I was ready for the impact I was going to make when I fell, when I felt a pair of strong hands catch me halfway there.

"I've finally found you," a familiar voice said. My minds wasn't clearly sure who it belonged to, but I know I've heard it somewhere before.

My eyes, wanting to close so badly, failed to see the face of my savior. All I could remember was that, at that time, my last words were. "Please don't tell Natsume."

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**HOTARU: **I think you should change the theme of this story to Romance/Drama. 'Cause I'm definitely seeing drama from here.

**FAYE: **(Typing fast.)

**HOTARU: **What the heck are you typing anyway?

**FAYE: **I'm publishing this one-shot called "Through Nobara's Eyes", which tells the story about Natsume and Nobara.

**SUMIRE: **How come you've never written a prequel about _me_!

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**PLEASE READ A RELATED ONE-SHOT I MADE TO TELL ABOUT NATSUME AND NOBARA'S PAST. OH, AND YEAH, REVIEW!**

**V**


	11. Rebound

Here's another update for you guys! :)) BTW, Can You Keep A Secret? is almost one year! So, on April 22, the next chapter will be posted to celebrate CYKAS?'s first anniversary! (Cheers!) By the way, guys, can you suggest an ending for this fic? I keep on thinking and thinking and thinking and I come up with tragic endings. (Laughs.) So, yeah, I know not most of you read the Author's Blocks anymore, but, hey. Some oughtta read and reply to this plea of mine!

Thanks for those who reviewed the previous chapter! **potatoandtomato, LNLestrangexx, xStarryEyedGirlxx, natsuk0, Ruby Romance, redsakuanbo, Cutenatsumexmikan, musicanimegal, l3vA, .x, chainedheart999, yExhiNa sAkUrei, greentulip, huyutfsakura, RandomChibiDemon-chan, 'x-KiRa09-x', NatsuMikanAnimeAddict **(Yeah, RukaRu ROCKS! I'd love to write about them soon!)**, x'bLuE-AnGeL'x, Sabaku Sousou **(Yeah, sure. :)**, 1wingedangelX, Hahahaha, '-MiNi-RAi-', Amethyst Petals, Ayama Mitsuki, Xim-no-writerX, JuSt So RaNdOm, technicolor_ruby **(Doing nothing pretty much inspires me to write. When I've got nothing to do, I think a lot and it gives me more ideas regarding my stories. So if you want to write more, do less. (Laughs.)**.**

And those who reviewed the related one-shot: Through Nobara's Eyes! **potatoandtomato, l3vA, xStarryEyedGirlx, .x, chainedheart999, Blissful Delight, greentulip **(Yes. :)**, RandomChibiDemon-chan, thundra18.

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_I wasn't really sure anymore what I was doing in front of his office. After my unknown disappearance and the previous encounter, I still wasn't sure that I was ready to see him yet. And after the incident with Ruka, I realized what shame I've brought myself to._

_But I had to do what I had to do. I had a job and I had to send money to Mom and Jii-chan as soon as possible. It was a good thing they didn't have any source of communication with the world over there, so news about my so-called "engage__ment" haven't reached them yet. It was a good thing there no other people in the office besides him._

"_How long are you planning on standing there?"_

_I cringed. His voice sent shivers and chills down my spine. I slowly turn around, as I faced his piercing blood-red eyes._

**XI: REBOUND**

I was sitting on my desk at Flame, slowly drumming my fingers at the table repeatedly. It was seven in the evening and there were barely any more employees left in the building. HECK, I didn't even know what I was still doing here. But, in a moment of deliberately thinking, I suddenly remembered why I was there.

I was waiting for him. And by "him", I meant Natsume.

I glanced at my wrist watch, groaned and continued making rhythmic noise. After about five seconds, I stared at his office door and finally stood up. I knocked thrice at his door before I entered.

"Hey, Boss-guy, until what time are you planning to –" I stopped talking when I saw Natsume lying on his black, leather couch sleeping.

Inwardly, I smiled. He must be pretty tired after a long day at work, I presumed.

Slowly and quietly, I tiptoed to the other side of the room and crouched down so that my face would be at level with his.

I continued smiling as I cautiously extended my left hand and brushed his hair off his angelic face. It was then I heard Natsume mumble something under his breath.

I tilted my head, failing to hear him. "What was that?" I asked in a soft voice.

"…bara," he repeated, this time more audibly. "No…bara…"

Suddenly, I felt my heart tighten in pain. It was like all the veins and chambers blocked off everything and stopped producing blood. It was painful – way painful than anyone could imagine.

"Nobara," he said again, this time clearer than crystal.

I felt hot tears well up in my eyes. "No, please stop," I begged him softly, backing away. But he continued calling out to Nobara's name.

"Natsume-kun?" I heard somebody say from behind me.

I whirl around, only to find a tall lady with black-gray hair and silver eyes approaching. I closed my eyes and covered my ears as I took more steps towards the door, but no matter how I shut my eyes, I still saw and no matter how much I blocked off my hearing, I still heard.

"No! No! No! Go away!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. I kept yelling, but Nobara didn't stop at her tracks. She continued walking towards Natsume's sleeping figure like she didn't hear me at all.

"Natsume-kun?" she called, again, this time softer.

I couldn't bear it. I wanted to push her away and kill her and throw her off at a dump-site or something. And then I'd do the same with Natsume when I'm done with him.

I turned towards the door and ran to it, attempting to run away, but as I twisted the door knob, I realized it didn't bulge at all.

I looked back at Nobara frantically. She was now staring at Natsume with her eyes and said nothing.

I continued sobbing and opening the door, when Nobara suddenly turned her head at me.

"What are you going to do?" she asked with her high, soprano voice. "Are you running away again?"

I covered my ears one more time. "No," I mumbled. "No, just get out of my head! JUST GET OUT!"

**.**

I sat up on the bed screaming. I just stopped when I realized I was in a room and that I was just having a nightmare.

I panted heavily and calmed myself down when I heard somebody by the door.

"Knock-knock?"

I turned my head around clearly to see who it was.

I sighed when I realized there was no danger. "Ruka," I said.

Ruka smiled as he looked at me with his sky-blue eyes. "How are you feeling?" he asked with a tone of genuine concern.

I tried to force a smile. "I'm feeling better, thank you," I assured him.

Ruka shook his head slowly as he approached and sat at the edge of the bed. "If by better, you mean at screaming, well, you're getting good at it," he said, in a way it was a joke or something serious.

My expression turned apologetic. "I'm sorry," I said. "I was just having a nightmare."

Ruka nodded. "I know," he told me softly. "There was never a moment you weren't moaning or screaming."

I frowned and sighed. "I'm sorry," I said again.

Ruka laughed lightly. "No, its okay," he assured. "It's normal for people to have bad dreams when they're sick."

I nodded, looking out the window, just like what I did when I was trying to avoid a conversation.

"I was the one to find you," Ruka said, as he reached for a damp towel.

I looked at him. "O-oh," I mumbled when I suddenly remembered what happened the night before. "Thank you."

"…and I did what you ask me to do," he continued.

I tilted my head on one side, confused. "Eh?"

Ruka smiled again. "I didn't tell Natsume," he told me.

I flinched when I heard Natsume's name and I was quite sure that Ruka noticed because he quickly changed the subject when he mentioned his name.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, handing over the towel.

I shook my head and opened my mouth to say something, when a soft grumble was heard in the room. It was my stomach. Stupid, stupid stomach.

Ruka let out a chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes." And at that, he left the room.

I sighed in dismay. I really appreciated Ruka's attempt to cheer me up, but somehow, I figured it'd take better than that to make me feel better again.

The visual image of Natsume and Nobara was flashed in my mind again and I felt my heart break into a million pieces. I bit my lip hard, holding back the tears, when I noticed something white move by the door.

I turned my head immediately to see if I was just seeing things or not. Finally, I rolled my eyes. What the HECK was I doing? Of _course_ there was nothing there, what the heck could it be?

I rubbed my temples slowly, trying to calm myself when, in my peripheral vision, I saw it again. The white, small, round thing that kept on moving.

I whirl around and crouched down, looking for it, but I still couldn't.

I narrowed my eyes and my body stiffened. After a moment, I finally decided to get out of the bed and look for whatever it was that kept moving around and was scaring the heck out of me.

I looked at the corners of the room first, then around the door and everywhere else at the room before I finally decided to look under the bed.

UGH, I shivered. I always had traumas about underbeds. I remembered when my Jii-chan would scare me, telling me that the Boogeyman was living under _my_ bed and that if I left any food on the floor or socks or toys or did anything Grandpa disliked, the B-Man'd show himself and take me to a gay-bar or something. Well, yeah, it was absurd _now_, but thinking of it back then with all the _twisted _wearing G-Strings, I'd rather engross myself in a week of cleaning-duty.

I slowly poke my hand under the bed first, in case I find something, but all that I felt were dust-particles.

I groaned loudly as I wiped all the dirt from my arm. I took in a deep breath before I finally looked under the bed, only to find two blue pebble-eyes staring right back at me.

My eyes widened in shock as I screamed and backed away hastily.

Immediately, Ruka came running from the kitchen and to my aid.

"What is it?" he asked, obvious in his tone that he was worried.

I pointed a finger shakily under the bed. "S-s-s-something...over there," I said, my voice shaking as I slowly look at Ruka teary-eyed. "B-B-B-B-B-Boogeyman!!"

I could tell now that Ruka was holding back his laughter. "Boogeyman?" he asked, in between chuckles.

I banged my hand on the floor, repeatedly, trying to get his full attention. "I saw it! There were two-eyes! Th-they were _blue_! And they were staring right back at m - "

Ruka cut me off. "No, I don't think that was the Boogeyman you saw," he said as he crouched down at the bed. "Usagi," he called. "Come here, boy!"

I tilted my head to look at whatever evil being he was calling from the underbed, when I saw a small, white figure emerge from the darkness.

I blinked twice. "A..._rabbit_?"

Ruka laughed. I noticed how his shoulder went up and down as he did and I couldn't help but smile at his carefree personality. "See? That wasn't the Boogeyman," he assured.

"Y-yeah, but what is a rabbit doing in your house?" I asked, almost too quickly that I made it look like I was WAY defensive.

"Apartment, actually. My house is on Kyoto," he corrected, smiling. "And, Usagi is my pet."

I looked at the rabbit as it hopped its way towards Ruka's lap.

"You have a pet rabbit?" I asked, still in the state of shock. I mean, Ruka was like the manager of Flame's Kyoto branch, right? So he must be super busy with all his work, yet he still finds time to take care of animals?

Ruka nodded as he petted the rabbit. I realized he looked pretty much like an angel. With what he was wearing – light blue polo and white pants – his golden-blond hair, aqua eyes and peaceful expression, the only thing that was missing this time was wings and he'd be in and out of that large, golden gate up there in the sky.

Suddenly, I found myself laughing.

Ruka turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny?" he asked, almost sounding offended.

"Nothing," I said, still giggling. "It's just that, you look so cute right now, Ruka-pyon!"

Ruka raised an eyebrow again and grinned. "_Pyon_?" he said, repeating my suffix.

I smiled smugly. "Yeah," I said to him. "It kinda suits you so from now on I'm going to call you that from now on."

The blond boy shook his head slowly as he released Usagi from his arms. "Well, I'm going back to the kitchen for your food."

I nodded as I stared at the white rabbit, which tilted its small head at one side, as if examining me.

I smiled and extended both my hands. "Usagi, right?" I said in a soft tone. "I'm Mikan. I'm your friend."

Usagi continued to stare at me, unblinking, but after a while, it finally hopped towards my direction and into my arms.

I felt Usagi's soft fur against my bare skin and it was then I realized I was still wearing the olive dress Natsume had given me.

_Natsume_, I sighed inwardly.

"I should really stop thinking about him," I mumbled softly as I rubbed Usagi's head. "It's becoming unhealthy."

Usagi cuddled closer, as if it understood what I was feeling. I smiled as it rubbed his head against my neck.

I let out a giggle and I stood up as I let go of Usagi and headed to the hallway. "Come on, I've gotta ask Ruka if he has some spare clothes."

**.**

I placed the pair of chopsticks in my plate and clapped my hands together once. "Thank for the meal!"

Ruka smiled as he stood up, taking his and my plate with him.

"Thanks for the extra clothes and the food, Ruka-pyon!" I said in appreciation.

Ruka's clothes were a lot bigger than my size, but I felt comfortable in his over-sized sweatshirt and jogging pants.

Ruka flashed a smile. "Well, with you back to your normal self, that must mean you're feeling all better."

I stayed silent for a while, when I suddenly remembered Natsume with his comment. "Yeah, thank you."

I heard Ruka sigh as he turned to face me, this time, with a serious expression.

"Natsume's really worried, you know?" he said in a soft voice.

I flinched at hearing his name. "Oh," was all I could say.

Ruka sighed again as he acclaimed his seat and looked at me straight in the eye. "Look, I don't mean to barge in with the both of you or anything, but when I received Natsume's call, saying you went off running somewhere, I heard genuine concern from his voice," Ruka said softly.

I crossed my arms and looked away. "Really," I mumbled.

For the first time, I saw Ruka frown. "Sakura-san," Ruka said. "Natsume's been my best friend ever since and it's probably the first time I've seen him this concerned with somebody in his whole life. And I can assure you, he's still looking for you because since last night, he hasn't stopped asking me if I saw you yet."

I tried my best to ignore Ruka-pyon's words because I knew he was lying. Natsume didn't care for me. He was more concerned with that Nobara. He didn't care where I was! And if he did, it'd be because he'd have nobody to play his "fiancee" - oh, wait, he _did_. Nobara was there.

"What happened, anyway?" Ruka asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

I bit my lower lip. "I'd prefer not to talk about it."

Ruka sighed, yet again as he stood up. "Well, sooner or later, Natsume's going to find out you're here. But I really suggest that you go talk to him now."

I scoffed. _Talk to him_, PFT – what the heck was he saying, I wasn't gonna do that!

I stood up and sat on Ruka's maroon couch, next to Usagi who kept on nibbling on his carrot.

I reached for the remote on the coffee table and turned the television on. They had news about the latest fashion trends and it led to the make-up and hair products. I suddenly saw a familiar face. That hag was that witch from the engagement party. The one that said I came from "unexpected" roots. Heck, the moment I find out how many repairs she did with her face and how much plastic surgery she's undergone, I'd reveal her from the fraud she really is!

"_Miss Sawako Hime had also recently attended an engagement party of Igarashi Kaoru's son, Natsume Hyuuga and his soon-to-be bride. And when asked about her opinion at the couple, Sawako-sama said,_

"_Well they are both _very_ promising people," _I heard the witch say as I glared at the TV. _"Something you don't really see everyday."_

I groaned, wanting to reach for the remote again and turn the TV off, when another headline aroused my attention. She was so _showbiz_.

"_Meanwhile, there had been news about Sakura Mikan, Hyuuga's fiancee, disappearing after the engagement party. Igarashi Kaoru claimed the news was fake and that Sakura was currently on a vacation with her family – a break from all the stress._

"_Back to you, – "_ I turned the TV off.

It was only then I realized what kind of mess I was making. I didn't have the slightest reason to be mad. There was nothing between us, and soon it'd all be over. I felt even worse when the thought of Kaoru covering-up my mess was now glued unto my mind.

I sighed. I have to do the right thing now, don't I?

I stood up and headed towards Ruka's room.

"Yeah," I heard him say as he talked to the phone. "I promise I'll call you if I find out where she is." - Ruka glanced at me - "Okay," he said, finally, before ending the call.

"Who was that on the other line?" I asked, though having an idea to who it was.

Ruka frowned. "Natsume," he confessed. "I can't lie to him anymore."

I sighed and looked away. "Alright, I'm going to talk to him," I said, catching Ruka's expression to brighten up. I held up a hand before he spoke. "In one condition."

"Just name it," Ruka said, grinning.

I held out a laughter. "You have to come with me to see a movie," I told him.

Ruka-pyon's face was suddenly filled with utmost curiosity. "What movie?"

**.**

"When I said "name it", I didn't precisely mean "go overboard"," Ruka said quietly, rubbing his temples slowly.

I laughed on how he restrained himself from getting mad after I told him what we were gonna see. That's right. I asked him to come see **PEKACHU vs. MEGA PEKACHU **with me!

"Satoshi!" I heard a mother call from nearby, softly but firmly getting her son's attention. "Stop showing-off your belly! Or else the Boogeyman's going to take you to a gay-bar!"

My jaw fell down at the threat. Where the heck have I heard the words BOOGEYMAN and GAY in the same sentence before – oh, that's right, I have a GRADPA.

"How long is this movie?" Ruka asked in a low voice.

"SHH!" I told him. "It's starting!"

"_In a far-far galaxy where the planet Peka-Peka lies, there lived the PErfectly KAwaii MONsters – or, as we call them, the PEKAMON – "_ ("Kawaii", meaning "cute" in Japanese) I covered my mouth when I saw Ruka's reaction. Even though the lights were pretty dim and I couldn't get a clear view of his face, I was about a hundred percent sure he had his eyes widened in grim shock.

His reaction eventually made me wonder how Natsume would react the moment _I _brought him to the movie. I mean, he'd probably hit me with a mallet or something and drag me headfirst outside the nearest exit and -

_Wait. What am I doing_?

I asked Ruka-pyon to come with me because I wanted to get my mind off Natsume before I finally faced him. But how am I supposed to do that, when I'm watching this movie all I think about is _him_?

"Sakura-san," I heard Ruka-pyon say from beside me, "is something the matter?"

I shook my head and smiled. "I'm fine."

And the whole time I stared at the screen, failing to get him out of my head.

Darn it, Natsume. If only you knew the effect you have on me.

**.**

I heard the cars honking and voices of different degree while Ruka and I sat on the concrete boundary of the Tokyo Bay.

"Well, you've got to admit, the movie wasn't that bad, right, Ruka-pyon?" I asked, still not getting over with Ruka's expression the whole time we were watching.

Ruka grinned. "I suppose so."

I laughed.

When Ruka glanced at my direction, I notice him extend his hand towards my hair.

"Eh? What is it?" I asked, slightly backing away in hesitation.

"Don't move," Ruka said, as he continued. "There's just something in your hair."

I suddenly felt a blush on my cheeks. What the hell? I wasn't supposed to be feeling this!

I opened my mouth to thank Ruka when everything suddenly blurred in front of me. One minute Ruka was there, and the next, he wasn't!

I frantically looked in every direction when my auburn eyes widened at what I was seeing.

It was Natsume – he was there! He stood there with his hand grabbing unto Ruka's collar and the other in the air, ready to punch him any moment.

"Natsume! Stop! What are you do –" I started, in attempt to call unto his attention, but he ignored me.

"Ruka," he said, his voice cold and piercing, "what are you _freaking_ doing?"

It scared me how Natsume delivered his words. It was like he was ready to kill anybody in anger – even if that person was his long-time best friend.

"Natsume! Wait!" I stood up, quickly approaching him and trying to calm him down, when he shot a very painful glare at my direction.

At that moment, I felt like my heartbeat could stop any moment now. The way he looked at me was scary. It was scarier than any other time I'd seen him angry at someone before. And the more painful realization, he aimed it right at me.

Natsume tightened his grip on Ruka's collar. "You promised you'd tell me once you've seen her," he said, every word filled with pure rage.

I half-expected Ruka to tell Natsume that it was my fault Ruka wasn't able to tell him that he found me, but, instead, Ruka kept silent and looked away.

It was then Natsume clenched his jaw and aimed a strong blow on Ruka's face, leaving Ruka defenseless on the ground.

I gasped and quickly ran towards Ruka's aid.

"Ruka-pyon!" I screamed, before I yelled at Natsume, who still looked at Ruka with anger.

"What the HECK, do you think you're doing?!" I yelled at him. "You just punched your BEST FRIEND for FREAKING HELL'S sake!"

Natsume's ruby eyes turned to me. "JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STOP TELLING ME WHAT TO DO!"

I stopped breathing.

At that moment, I stopped breathing. Natsume hated me. I could see it – by the way he looked at me with those cold eyes. He was angry – no, he was _furious_. At _me._ At me, of all people!

Natsume sucked in a deep breath and shook his head in dismay, before he finally turned around and walked away.

I didn't know how it happened. It just did.

**.**

I slowly pressed the ice-bag on Ruka-pyon's face, sighing.

"O-ow," he softly complained, pressing the ice-bag unto his bruise himself.

I sighed. "I'm sorry."

Ruka looked at me with a confused expression. "What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I did!" I snapped. "If it wasn't for me, this never would've happened! If...if I hadn't told you not to tell him and –"

Ruka cut me off. "Look, it's okay..."

"NO IT ISN'T!" I suddenly yelled, finally giving in. Uncontrollably, tears suddenly fell down my eyes. "It's not okay."

"Sakura-san, there _is_ still something you can do," Ruka said.

I looked at him, teary-eyed. "What?" my voice cracked.

He smiled at me, wiping my tears away. "Talk to him, like you told me you would."

I shook my head fast the moment he said "talk". "I can't," I said. "I can't. I can't. I can't."

"Stop saying you can't," Ruka said. It amazed me how much patience he had with my negativity. If It were my mother or my grandfather or anybody else, they'd be punching me in the face, telling me I was childish and stupid.

I sighed and wiped the tears off my face. "Okay," I said, finally giving in. "I'll talk to him."

**.**

I wasn't really sure anymore what I was doing in front of his office. After my unknown disappearance and the previous encounter, I still wasn't sure that I was ready to see him yet. And after the incident with Ruka, I realized what shame I've brought myself to.

But I had to do what I had to do. I had a job and I had to send money to Mom and Jii-chan as soon as possible. It was a good thing they didn't have any source of communication with the world over there, so news about my so-called "engagement" haven't reached them yet. It was a good thing there no other people in the office besides him.

"How long are you planning on standing there?"

I cringed. His voice sent shivers and chills down my spine. I slowly turn around, as I faced his piercing blood-red eyes.

I opened my mouth to say something, when Natsume spoke before I did."

"I already know what you're going to say," he said, emotionless.

I sighed in relief. At least I was going to do less talking -

"- And you better just leave because I don't want to hear it."

My eyes widened. "Wait, WHAT?"

Natsume glared at me. "I said leave," he repeated. "I don't want to see your face here ever again."

"No, wait!" I insisted, refusing to do what he says. "It's not what you think it is! There's nothing going on between me and Ruka and - "

"I said I didn't want to hear it, didn't I?!"

A vein popped in my forehead. This was one stubborn man.

Quickly, I slapped him with all my strength.

Natsume looked at me, confused, touching his cheek. "What the heck - ?"

"Oh, would you stop complaining?!" I boomed, lifting both my hands in the air. "At least, I wasn't _kissing_ anybody!"

Natsume's eyes widened at my statement. For a moment, he was silenced. "You saw that?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes in sarcasm. "Well, of course I did," I said, trying to sound like it was completely okay with me. But I knew it wasn't. I knew very, very well it wasn't.

Natsume looked away. "That meant nothing," he said.

"PSH," I scoffed. "I don't want to hear it," I said, crossing my arms.

"So, what, you're now using my words against me?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

I shrugged and bit my lip, debating on whether I'd go with this conversation, or just leave and hide with Usagi for the rest of my damned life.

"I told you," Natsume said after a while, this time, softer, "that meant nothing."

I rolled my eyes again, failing to hold back my tongue. "Since, when did a kiss mean nothing, Natsume?"

"Nobara was never staying here for real," Natsume said. My heart suddenly ached when I heard him say her name. "And she's also engaged now." He paused before continuing. "That kiss was merely goodbye."

I was silenced. I was kind of thinking he'd say something like, "I kissed her because I love her and I want her to replace you as my fiancee because you're an absurd girl with childish dreams who wears polka-dotted panties." But he didn't. Thank GOD he didn't.

"O-oh," I finally said. "Th-that's kind of a shame, really. Wouldn't you love to have her with you? I mean, you're so perfect together and - "

Suddenly, Natsume grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him. He leveled his mouth to my ear. "I'd rather have you instead," he whispered.

I felt blood rush to my head. "Wh-what the heck are you talking about?!" I asked, frenzied.

Natsume smirked. "You ran away because you were jealous?" he suddenly asked.

"Y-you punched Ruka-pyon in the face because _you_ were jealous!" I countered, composing myself from all the nervousness I was feeling with him so close to me.

Natsume said nothing. Instead, he placed his free hand at the arch my back and pulled me closer to him. Ever so lightly, I felt something brush against my hair. His lips? I didn't know. And I wasn't sure I wanted to.

"Maybe," he finally whispered, sending chills from head to toe. "I really shouldn't be very possessive of you," he said softly, it almost didn't sound like him. "But I can't help it."

OH MY GOD WHAT THE HECK IS HE DOING TO ME?! Was this some kind of seductive joke he was planning from the very start! If it was, it was working and he should stop before my heart gives in and finally explode! I mean, is he drunk or something?

I quickly let go from his grasp and took gigantic steps backward.

"Well, now that's all settled," I said slowly at first, taking steps towards the elevator. "I'd-better-go-and-take-off-before-it-gets-too-late!"

I dashed towards the elevator and reached for the button, when Natsume's hand covered it before I had the chance to press.

"I _really_ have to go - " I said, not quite sure where to go, truth be told.

"Stay," he simply said. I felt a warm hand on my elbow.

And, surprisingly, I did stay.

* * *

**Faye: **(Laughs evilly.) Everybody hated Natsume-kun in the previous chapter, but we gotta love him, right? (Winks.)

**Misaki: **Mikan, you shouldn't give in that easily towards Natsume. You still play hard-to-get!

**Mikan: **E-eh?

**Faye: **Oh, she has the next chapters to do that! (Winks, winks. :D)

**Sumire: **I'm still waiting for _my_ one-shot!

**Faye: **Oh, I dunno. (Winks, winks, winks. xD)

* * *

**ANOTHER G.A. CHARACTER IS GONNA GET INTRODUCED THE NEXT CHAPTER. GUESS WHO HE IS THROUGH YOUR REVIEW!  
**(One of the people who guessed it right can have their own character added in Can You Keep A Secret?!)

**V**


	12. Strawberries

YAY! Can You Keep A Secret? has reached one year! And, guys, I'm sorry it takes so long for this fic to be finished and all. I don't really have the time. OH YEAH, to everyone who guessed the new character right (Those with italics only.), PM me or state in a review information about your OC. :) The needed information are posted in my profile, so just check it out.

Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! **Sabaku Sousou, scribbles'04, Saikono-san, potatoandtomato, **_**queen34**_**, Amethyst Mae, thundra18 **(That's okay! I love reading long reviews the most. They make me feel appreciated. (Laughs)**, **_**RandomChibiDemon-chan**_ (Laughs) OMG, I love what you suggested. Haha!)**, Blackcat xoxo, redsakuanbo, ****x'bLuE-AnGeL'x****, ****xStarryEyedGirlx****, Xim-no-writerX **(I don't. :))**, **_**-Tribal Addict-**_**, **_**rockprincess412**_**, DreamingReverie, khul8z 911, **_**chainedheart999**_**, keiXseth, manga-girl-freak, Ayama Mitsuki, Cutenatsumexmikan, yExhiNa sAkUrei, farah01, Blissful Delight, **_**LNLestrangexx**_**, **_**xXShadowDreamerXx**_**, One-wiTHOut-sOul **(No, thanks for pointing it out. I appreciate it. :)**, **_**cherrysango**_**, **_**hanY Ynah**_**, chini, luna cherFer, marvic 31, _Kuro . Neko_**_**.x**_**_,_ JuSt To RaNdOm, xxT3nZ4i-Aixx, Amethyst Petals, **_**yann**_**, huyutfsakura, youare-who-youare, '-MiNi-RAi-', Ruby Romance, Smori.**

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**Can You Keep A Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_Surprisingly, Nobara laughed, too. The next moment, the waiter came with our orders._

_Nobara smiled, handing over the desert she ordered for me._

"_Thank you!" I told her, taking a spoon from the tray and taking a spoonful._

_And it was then I realized what I had eaten._

**XII: STRAWBERRIES**

I inhaled and exhaled, un-talking, unmoving. I just sat there, like a still doll designed to make living rooms look spacy-er. GOD, what's happening to me?! First I've lost my words and now even in my _thoughts_ I say words you can never find in dictionaries. Has my brain gone mad?! Oh yeah, it's _his_ fault.

I stood in front of the elevator and stayed, like he told me to, my heart pounding, my breathing growing faster and faster as he stood closely behind me, unmoving. Somehow, I could feel his warm breath in my neck in a way that made my heart melt.

I couldn't believe myself – I had fallen again with his mischievous "haha-you-thought-that-that-meant-something-didn't-you-but-it-didn't" tricks. Sure, he was not being his rude, usual self for about, what, five minutes? And then the next moment, he's back into saying, "When you get back to the hotel, pack your things."

I looked at him, confused. "Wh-where are we going?"

It was then he stood up straight and turned away. "You're moving out."

And, yes, I've moved out – back to room four-five-nine. I missed, my room, yes. And I was glad that I was finally back, but somehow I was disappointed that he kicked me out. I mean, as much as I'd like to keep from him the fact that every moment I spend with him are the best moments of my life, if I would be the one to choose, I'd be staying in his room _hands down_.

WAIT.

_Did I just think that_? OH GREAT. I sound like one of those obsessed fan girls on TV now.

I groaned loudly, standing up from my sofa as I reached for a pen and paper and wrote Natsume's name as neatly as I could.

_You are probably the most selfish, arrogant, perverted, insensitive person I have met in my whole life. You always say mean things, you always do things at the WRONG time and you're always making me confused with what you're always doing, _I wrote, transforming my penmanship from legible to barely readable.

I groaned again, louder this time, throwing my hands up in the air. Seriously, what the heck am I doing? I'm writing a letter for him, for God's sake! I have gone mad! MAD, I tell you!

After a moment, I sighed, staring at the pen and paper I threw on the floor. I debated if I should leave it there, or pick it up, but in the end I did take the paper again and started writing.

_Even though there are so much negative in you, I maybe kinda, sorta, just a little bit, teeny-weeny, like you, _I write, again, this time from legible to microscopic.

Groaning, again, I crumpled the paper and dunked it in my bag in annoyance. The moment I noticed my phone, I looked for a number in my phone book to call. After a few rings, a familiar voice greeted me.

"Ah, Sakura-san!" Ruka said, sounding relieved that I called. "How did it go?"

I pursed my lips, preparing for a lie. "Good. All's good."

Ruka sighed. I knew that he knew that I wasn't "good" like I told him, but he decided not to press the topic. That's what I liked about Ruka-pyon – he always knew the right things to say at the right moment and at the right situation – unlike Hyuuga-boss-guy – and it made me think of how things would've turned out if _I_ had been in love with him.

"Did you two finally make up?" he asked with a tone of pure concern.

I frowned as I stared out the window. Outside, the sky was pitch-black and there were no sight of stars, nor the moon. That just meant it was going to be raining soon.

"Yeah, we have," I finally said. "But, well, he kicked me out."

"Kicked you out?"

My eyes widened, realizing what I just said. "N-no! Not really kicked me out – I mean, I wasn't really _supposed_ to be staying in his room, anyway!" I corrected nervously.

Ruka-pyon laughed, which calmed me down a bit. Good. He understood.

"But you've talked to him, right?" he asked, almost sounding hopeful that his best friend was not mad at him.

"Y-yeah," I said. "He's not angry anymore or anything so…" I trailed off, thinking if it was right to bring up the topic. I mean, it was kind of awkward to talk to Ruka-pyon about Natsume being jealous because of the two of us and all, so I quickly changed diverted the conversation into somewhere else. "How's your face?"

I heard Ruka chuckle. "Better, I guess," he said.

I sighed in relief. "That's good," I said. "Hey, sorry for calling you this late at night. I just…" I trailed off, feeling my lips shake and form into a big frown. And then I finally snapped. "WAH! RUKA-PYON! I don't know what to do next anymore!!"

"Ah! H-hey, are you crying??" Ruka asked quickly, sounding nervous.

"No." I sniffed. Oh God, I was being such a baby. But I couldn't help it anymore! There was so much tension inside me now and I couldn't hold it all in.

For a moment, Ruka said nothing. My crying over the phone might have freaked him out somehow and now he was all turned-off with me.

"I'm sorry," I said, still sobbing. "I couldn't think of anyone else to call."

"N-no, it's okay," he finally said in a calming tone. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't know what to say because I was kind of surprised."

I tilted my head. "Surprised?" I echoed, sniffing again.

Ruka paused, as if debating if he'd continue. "Well, yeah. I mean you're usually stronger than this…" he trailed off, when I said nothing. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said –"

"No," I cut him off. After a while, I smiled through the phone. "You're right."

When Ruka said nothing, I continued. "I can't believe I let my emotions get the best of me again," I laughed halfheartedly. "I guess I'm really not that good when it comes to love."

"S-Sakura-san…" Ruka said, in lost of words. But although he would deny it, I know he felt uneasy being talked to like this. I guess that's the cost of not having a _girl _friend.

I took a deep breath. "Hey, thanks, Ruka-pyon!" I said as cheerfully as I could before I hung up. "You really made me feel better!"

With a click, the conversation ended and I sank into the floor, sighing and stared at the dark sky. After a few seconds, I finally gave in and took the crumpled paper in my bag and started writing again.

.

I quickly dashed towards Flame's elevator the moment before it closed.

I exhaled slowly. I got used to Natsume waking me up every morning that I forgot to set my alarm clock on last night – bravo! And now I was late. I was about thirty minutes late, and, yes, it was a big deal. Being late is _always _a big deal – well, to me at least.

When I was in elementary school, I had a teacher named Jinno-sensei. He was pretty much the "terror" of the whole school. He always had a frog on his shoulder that always, always seem to be there and he always has this stick. And nobody knows how he does it, but somehow he manages to electrify the students with it. Well, not really electrify. It's more like a shock to be exact. It wasn't as painful, but when we were little, it was all we could fear of.

And there were many theories about Jin-Jin. Some say that his stick has batteries…and some, well, claims that he's from another planet. Well one thing was for sure, nobody liked him. Since that day that I was late for the first time in his class and he shocked me, there was always this _thing_ I had with being late.

Misaki-senpai's maroon eyes widened at my arrival. "Mikan-chan! You're back!" she chirped happily, jumping off her seat and cuddling me into a bear hug.

"C-can't...breathe..." I mumble, getting squished with her arms.

Misaki-senpai finally released me, laughing. "Sorry, I just missed you so much!"

I laughed, too, walking to my desk. I placed my bag on where my table was supposed to be, not bothering to look when I noticed no solid object bumping into my bag. I placed it again, at a slightly different direction. Still nothing.

Place.

Nothing.

Frantically, I turned around. MY DESK WASN'T THERE!

I pointed at where my table was supposed to be and faced Misaki-senpai. "Where –?!"

She grinned, as if delighted to tell me the reason. "Hyuuga-dono made us transfer your table inside his office," she said, smiling broadly.

My jaw locked open. "He WHAT??"

Misaki, still grinning leaned closer to my ear. "You know, so that you could get more privacy when you do _it_."

Jaw fell _dowwnnn_. "WHAT?!" I said again, yelling at the top of my lungs at what she said. No! No! No! There wasn't gonna be any _it_-doing! Whatever _it_ is!

Misaki-senpai stuck her tongue out, before heading back to her table. It was then I noticed everybody on the floor staring at my direction and I realized how attention-grabbing my little yelling had been. I turned away and entered Natsume's office for refuge, not bothering to knock.

Natsume's head rose to look at me for a second, and then back to his files. "It's too early in the morning for you to make irritating noises like that," he noted as I took a seat in my table.

"I never asked your opinion," I told him, not in the mood for another petty fight.

Natsume looked at me and raised one perfect eyebrow. "My opinion does matter because I'm your boss."

I stiffened. Yeah, he _was _my boss. I guess I kind of forgot that with all the shenanigans and distractions that happened. "S-sorry," I half-whispered.

Natsume ignored my apology.

"Cancel all my appointments this afternoon and reschedule," he finally said after a while.

I looked at him, confused. "What? But your schedule if fully booked today – you can't just cancel everything out," I told him.

Natsume fell silent, seeming to focus on his paper work. I stared at him, expecting an answer. After a while, he sighed.

"I'm escorting Nobara to the airport. She's leaving today."

And the moment I heard Nobara's name, I didn't know what came to me. Things just happened.

.

Seriously, what am I doing here?

I look around in front of the airport with only my phone and my wallet, staring at the cars that came along, trying to see through the tinted windshields. And then, I ask again to myself: _What am I seriously doing here?!_

I didn't know why I did what I did. But, hearing "Nobara" come from Natsume's mouth, my body moved by itself. And I said something stupid like, "Let me escort her instead!" almost immediately that I sounded too eager.

Natsume raised his eyebrows the next moment and smirked, saying, "Alright then."

I actually half-expected he'd insist on coming along so I was surprised when he agreed right away. And if I was already in some sort of mental _torture_ he was planning, I had already fallen into his trap.

And then here I stand, like a complete idiot, waiting for a girl I never wanted to come face-to-face again. Nobara. Nobara, the pretty wavy-haired model-type girl who Natsume happened to like and she happens to like back, but can't like him back because somehow, she's found herself engaged to a person she doesn't like, just like what's happening to Natsume.

Well, you know what? How about Natsume and Nobara just get together and whoever Nobara's fiancé is, I meet so that _we_ can get together and we'll all live a happily-ever-after and have kids and -

"Sakura-san!" With the sound of her musical voice, my thoughts silenced.

This was it! The best poker-face I could manage. "Ah! Nobara-san! I'm glad you're finally here!"

Nobara smiled, probably relieved that I was happy to see her. And I kinda felt guilty for it – I wasn't really _delighted_ and all, but I wasn't angry either. Nobara was such a lovely person…and it was impossible – just like it's not possible hating Hyuuga-boss-guy, even though he's rude at times and all, but he's really, really charming and -

_Wait, what?_

AH. FORGET IT! I NEVER SAID ANYTHING.

"I'm sorry for making you wait," she said.

Suddenly, I forgot that I was thinking just a while ago that I didn't want to see her face-to-face. "Y-yes!" I bowed, hiding my embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry, too!"

Nobara blinked. "Eh? What are you sorry for?"

I stood up straight, still feeling awkward by her presence. "Well, because it's my fault Natsume wasn't able to -"

"Ah! No!" Nobara cut me off. And for the first time, I saw her blush. Blush at the mention of Natsume's name? I don't know, but it seems she was as embarrassed as I was! "I'm actually glad you came! I mean, I've been looking forward to talking to you and getting to know you."

I didn't know why, but a smile crept up my lips. And at that moment I knew I liked Nobara.

"Hey, anyway, I'm not required for another hour, so why don't we…" she trailed of, biting her lower lip, "h-hang out for a while?"

I grinned. "I'd love to!"

Nobara's face lightened up. "That's great! I know a shop nearby."

I nodded and continued smiling.

Nobara was everything I never thought she was. And I still couldn't believe I'm saying this, but I really, really, really, _really_ like her.

Nobara pursed her red lips as she looked over at the menu. We went to a desert shop nearby that had great frozen yogurt, cakes and everything! It was heaven! "Um…what desert do you want, Sakura-san?" she asked, silently.

I looked up at her and smiled. "How about you choose for me, Nobara-chan?" I suggested.

It was then Nobara looked at me with a slightly shocked expression. "Ch-chan?" she said, repeating the suffix I just used.

Oh, shoot! I got so used to calling people I'm close to like that, and I can imagine how awkward it may be for rich people like Nobara to be called with that suffix. "S-sorry!" I quickly apologized. "I didn't intend to -"

Nobara shook her head, signaling me to stop. "No, I like it," she said, smiling. Slowly, she put down the menu and linked the tips of her fingers together. "I just…I've never been called that by anyone as a child up until now…"

I tilted my head. "You've never been called that? Don't you have friends?" I blurted suddenly, forgetting my place again. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have asked -" I added quickly, but she shook her head to cut me off again.

"Well, I was never very good at interacting with people," Nobara said. "Natsume-kun was my first real friend."

It was then I noticed, that whenever Nobara-chan talked about Natsume, she didn't stutter too much. And at that time at the mansion, when she said Natsume was worried (even if I still don't believe it), she said it so clearly that it didn't reflect the shy-type Nobara I was talking to at this moment.

Natsume must be very dear to her then, for her to talk about him in such a comfortable way. I feel…envious? I didn't rightly know.

"Ah, anyway, c-can I call you Mikan-chan?" she said, quickly adding, "I mean if that's alright! If it's not, then it's okay!"

"It's fine." It was my turn to cut her off. "I'm glad to have made friends with you, Nobara-chan."

Nobara flashed a smile that came across her rosy cheeks. "I'm glad, too."

I smiled back, not knowing what to say next. And to think I was already so comfortable talking with her – and then, suddenly, when Natsume was brought up, I felt my chest become heavy and my brain stop producing positive thoughts. And then _now _I'm back to being cheery again.

As I said before, 'unhealthy'. Thinking about Natsume was unhealthy.

"A-anyway," Nobara said, talking the menu again. "What do you want?"

I smiled at her again. "Order for me," I told her.

Nobara clapped her hands together in delight as she called the waiter and said our orders. I wasn't really paying attention anymore. My head was, again, filled with thoughts of how Nobara and Natsume was perfect for each other and how good they were together and how Nobara's fiancé and I should meet so that the two would finally get married and I'd get married and have kids and -

"I'm really glad that it's you that Natsume-kun decided to marry."

What did she say? I was pretty sure it had the words 'glad', 'Natsume', 'you' and 'marry' in the same sentence. "Huh?"

Nobara's eyes softened as she looked at me. "I mean, you're a real great person, Mikan-chan."

"Well, as far as I can tell, Natsume still cares for you a lot," I added subconsciously.

At that, Nobara blushed. "A-ah! If you're talking about that kiss, it's not what you think it is!"

I pursed my lips. "You knew that I knew?" I mumbled.

Nobara bowed her head down, hiding her blushing face. "Y-yes. Natsume-kun told me…"

Pause.

Pause.

Pause.

"Well that's pretty awkward."

There was silence, again, between us two, until Nobara spoke in a low voice. "That was…one last time. It was my request, it wasn't his fault," she trailed off. I could only listen in silence.

"And I shouldn't have. I knew it would create some kind of mess, and it did. I'm sorry, i-it's just that I've always been a coward and all…" she added, in a low volume I could barely hear her mumbles. I was kind of sure she said something else before, "Rei-kun is a nice person, though! And I'm lucky to have him as my fiancé, too! And…" And her voice started fading again.

Suddenly, I began to laugh.

Nobara looked up, confused. "E-eh?"

"I'm sorry," I said. "Nobara-chan is just so cute!"

Surprisingly, Nobara laughed, too. The next moment, the waiter came with our orders.

Nobara smiled, handing over the desert she ordered for me.

"Thank you!" I told her, taking a spoon from the tray and taking a spoonful.

And it was then I realized what I had eaten.

.

I cough loudly before letting out another batch of vomit. Yes, vomit.

"I'm so sorry, Natsume-kun! I seriously didn't know Mikan-chan had a thing with strawberries –!"

I could hear Nobara's worried voice from Natsume's cell phone. He had it on loudspeaker since he couldn't attend to me and to the phone at the same time.

I threw up again.

"Mikan-chan! I'm really so sorry!" Nobara said, in a state of panic.

I wipe the tears from my eyes, and tried to breathe. "No, that's really okay, Nobara-cha -"

Insert another throw-up moment here.

"Nobara, hang up already. You're supposed to turn off your cell phone when you're on a plane," Natsume said, coming back with a glass of water in his hands.

I've always, always had problems with strawberries. I don't know why, but every time I eat them, I just start throwing up until nothing's left in my stomach. My doctor insisted it was just psychological, but I couldn't think of any reason that might have triggered this psychological disorder of mine. Maybe my stomach was just kind of allergic to strawberries.

"I know, but Mikan-chan is -" Nobara insisted, refusing to hang up.

I took the glass of water Natsume had given me and took a sip. "No, seriously, Nobara-chan, I'm f -"

I go for the toilet bowl again. I had been sitting near it at about forty-five minutes since I got home. The moment I swallowed, it started. And Nobara-chan ended up paying the damaged seats, too. I feel embarrassed. But then the manager of the cafe gave me this huge, huge plastic bag for me to throw up on until the cab takes me home.

I could hear sheer panic in Nobara's voice again. "Really, Mikan-chan! I'm so, so, so sorry! I didn't know!"

Natsume finally snapped. He stood up and went for his phone. "That's it," he said unemotionally. "I'm ending the call right now."

"But -" And the call ended.

I wiped the tears that kept on rolling down my face again as I took another sip of water.

"How could you not check what you're eating before you eat them?" Natsume questioned angrily, bringing back a wet towel for me this time.

I took a deep breath, still panting. "Well, I kind of thought she ordered chocolate or something -" I let out another batch of vomit into the toilet bowl.

I suddenly felt a rub on my back and suddenly looked up, finding out it was Natsume.

"It's really smelly in here, you know," I mumbled. We were at the bathroom in my hotel room, and Natsume came over the moment Nobara called him about the 'incident' at the restaurant.

And this was seriously, seriously, VERY embarrassing!

"I don't mind," he simply said.

I said nothing, expecting another final blow from my stomach, when nothing came. I finally grabbed the chance to apologize. "Hey, I'm sorry," I said. "I really have these problems about strawberries and whenever I eat them, I just -"

"I know."

I blinked. "You…know?"

Truth be told, I was kind of surprised that he did. I don't believe I've ever told anyone yet and, other than my Mother and Jii-chan, nobody else knows about it.

Natsume looked away. "It was one of the things you said in the airplane."

AH. YES. The horrible, horrible airplane. Why did he have to bring it up?

"Don't you have medicine with you?" Natsume asked. "You must've anticipated this already, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's in my ba – ah! I left my bag on my table!" I suddenly realized, standing up. "I'm going to get it."

"No," Natsume said, standing up, too. "I'm getting it. On your table, right?"

I nodded again. "It's in the bag together with -" …_together with the letter._ AHHHH! THE LETTER!!!

I stand up hastily, heading for the door. "No, _I'm_ getting it!" I suddenly yelled.

There was no way he was going to read that letter. No freaking, freaking, freaking _way_ he would. If he did, I'd be doomed. And I'll never get married. NEVER! (Um...why?)

I was suddenly surprised when I felt his hand on my wrist, pulling me back.

"What? You think I'm letting you go by yourself?" he asked flatly, noticing my questioning expression.

I rolled my eyes, not really knowing if that was something negative or positive. First off, if I start throwing up again, he'd be the one I'll be throwing up into. That's the positive. As for the negative, there is still a chance that he'll see that letter I made.

UGH. Stupid, stupid letter! Why did I write that letter, anyway?!

The moment we stepped out of Alice Hotel, I shivered. I didn't realize it'd be so cold outside. Unconsciously, I rubbed both my arms. Suddenly, I felt something on my shoulder. I turned my head only to discover it was Natsume's black jacket he gave.

I look at him, confused.

Natsume looked away. "You're cold, right?" he said silently.

I suddenly felt blood rush to my cheeks. "Th-thanks," I half-whispered. This was odd. Natsume was being out of character again – oddly, oddly out of character. And that wasn't good…_I think_.

We went to his office in silence. Everything was already dark inside and outside the building because it was nearly seven o'clock in the evening. It kind of reminded me of the horror stories I used to read about somebody going overtime in an office and hearing or seeing things - it creeped me out.

I also had a thing about monsters and ghosts. I'm not afraid of cockroaches or bugs, but ghosts were definitely my weakness. It was mainly because of my Grandpa. He told me stories about ghosts taking me to a gay bar, too, together with Mr. Boogey. I mean, what's up with that?!

The moment we arrived, I hastily took my bag and walked to the door, with Natsume following behind me.

And then it happened.

And I saw it.

My eyes widened in shock. There were two people across our direction at the same floor, and I could've sworn the other was Misaki-senpai. And my eyes went even wider when she was with another guy – a guy I didn't recognize.

AND WHAT THE HELL, THEY WERE KISSING! And why is it I ALWAYS see people KISSING in secret?!

I opened my mouth, about to run to them, tear the two apart and stab whoever the guy was with a knife when I suddenly felt Natsume's hand on my mouth, pulling me back silently and his other closing the door.

"What the _hell_?!" I whispered furiously. "Why did you stop me, idiot!" I broke free and headed for the door again, ready to open it, when Natsume caught my arm for the second time.

I glared at him. "Let. Me. Go."

It was clear from Natsume's expression that he was losing patience. "Just shut up, will you?" he said firmly.

Almost automatically, my mouth clasped together. But it was not long before I spoke again. "What are they doing?!" - I turned to Natsume - "And why aren't you stopping them?!"

Natsume ignored me and went over to his leather seat, saying nothing.

I groaned in annoyance, crossed my arms and went over to my seat as well.

I opened my bag and took the bottle of water I always had with me and drank the medicine silently.

Neither of us spoke for the rest of about fifteen minutes of stillness in the dark. It was the minute after that when a question suddenly popped into my head.

"Do you, by any chance," I asked in a low voice, "_know_ that guy?"

Natsume leaned forward, his chin resting on his right palm as he looked at me with bored eyes. "Andou Tsubasa," he said. "The new vice president."

My eyes widened. "So what's with him and Misaki-senpai?" I asked, curious and disturbed at the same time.

Natsume just shrugged.

I pressed my lips together into a thin line. "Do you think they're finished?"

Natsume glanced at me and raised an eyebrow after I asked.

"Making out, I mean," I quickly, but quietly, followed.

Natsume shrugged again. "Who knows?"

Silence. Pure, deafening silence.

"Hey," I finally said after a while. When Natsume looked at me, I took it as a cue to continue. "Thank you."

"For what?"

I looked down. "For taking care of me," I simply said.

"Hn."

Silence, again.

"Hey." It was his turn, this time.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking at him through the pitch-black surroundings.

"I'm taking you somewhere this Saturday," he said.

I blinked. "What? Where?" I asked quickly.

Natsume sighed, as if unwilling. "My Dad wants to meet you."

I blinked, again. Four rapid, consecutive blinks. "WHAT?"

* * *

**Faye: **HAPPYYY ONE YEAR TO CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET?!

**Others: **(Rolls eyes) Yay.

**Faye: **A few more chapters to go and this story's finished! (Cheers!)

**Mikan: **Eh? Already? How many more??

**Faye: **I dunno. Six? (Grins.) But it's gonna have a sequel~

**Natsume: **Tch. Another one of those stereotype fanfictions about me and Polka?

**Faye: **(Grins even wider.) Who said it's gonna be about the two of you? (Winks.)

**Others: **EH?

* * *

**FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ITALICS IN THEIR NAMES AT THE TOP, SEND IN OC INFORMATIONS THROUGH REVIEW OR PM.**

**SEE THAT BUTTON DOWN THERE? FEED ME THROUGH IT. XD**

**!  
V**


	13. Revelations

Thank you, dear reviewers! **Amethyst Petals, -Tribal Addict-, Cutenatsumexmikan, xYouichiix, khul8z 911, HMVP, Ayama Mitsuki, xxT3nZ4i-Aixx, statics777 **(I really do hope you make an account so that I can reply to you saying how grateful I am that you liked the story! Thanks again!)**, chainedheart999, czenAzure, l3vA, DreamingReverie, babycham lover 003, LNLstrangexx, fallentenshi13, RandomChibiDemon-chan, JuSt So RaNdOm, DN Angel fallen angel, '-MiNi RAi-', yExhiNa sAKUrei, thundra18, One-wiTHOut-sOul, huyutfsakura, marvic31, Harumi Igarashi, Xim-no-writerX, Amethyst Mae, Amulet Crimson, Kat-tunObsessed, greentulip **(Thanks!)**, StarlitBaby **(Thanks!)**, Smori.  
**

Story updates next week Friday. Stay tune. (Winks.)

* * *

**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_It wasn't the first time I took notice of Natsume's eyes, but I was sure it wasn't the last time I'd adore them. They were playing in the shade of blood-red, orange, auburn and crimson and it was hard to figure out what shade of red they really were. They were round, almost cat-like and he had these thick, long lashes that you'd normally see in a girl's eyes._

"_I'd tell you another tip," he said, his lips slightly tugging upwards. "Can you keep a secret?"_

_I nodded, dazed._

_Right then and there, Natsume stopped coloring the canvas as he looked at me straight in the eye. I fought my urge to stare back at him and look away, but I had no control. Smirking, he slowly said, "If you really want to learn, stop staring at the one who's teaching."_

**XIII: REVELATIONS**

I sit across Yakako and Misaki-senpai awkwardly. The moment I arrived at Flame the next morning, I knew what I wanted to ask her – confront her, give her a piece of my mind and everything. Frankly though, I felt stupid that I was affected by this 'revelation' Natsume and I found out last night. I guess it was because I was, by far, one of Misaki-senpai's closest friends and I don't even get a word from all of this.

Misaki-senpai nonchalantly took a sip from her coffee. "Hey, are you feeling alright?" she asked, raising one pink eyebrow.

"Yes!" I snapped, trying not to sound upset, but clearly, I failed.

She raised two arms in the air, quite taken aback. "Alright, Miss Touchy!"

I glare at her for a moment, and then sighed. "Let's get back to the office," I suggested, standing up and placing the bill on the table.

I treated Yakako and Misaki-senpai to breakfast today hoping I could get something about the newly-found-out relationship about Misaki and this Andou Tsubasa. But, in the end, I couldn't go through with it. I mean, what am I supposed to say? "Hey, Misaki-senpai, I just wanted to know if you have an affair with the new vice president of Flame because I saw you kissing in the dark last night when Natsume and I went back to get the medicine for my Strawberry Disorder." No. _Definitely _not.

The three of us walk back to Flame in silence. I could feel Yakako's worried glances towards my direction, but tried to ignore them. Yakako's always been a worry wart. It was like she was some kind of mother that kept on looking out for the people around her. That was probably what I liked so much about her.

We were about to enter the elevator, when I accidentally bumped into an anonymous person.

"Sorry!" I said automatically, lifting my head. "I wasn't paying attention -" OH. MY. GOD. It was _him_!

Right before me Andou Tsubasa stood straight with his hands on his pockets looking down at me quizzically. He had an unusual star-shaped tattoo on his left cheek and wore a sky-blue wool hat together with his black tailored ensemble. My eyes narrowed. I mean, what guy _has_ a STAR on his face? Is he gay or something? And I was pretty sure his hat was against the dress code, too.

"Oh, hiya, Kiddo!" he grinned, messing up my hair. I glare back at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "You're President's girlfriend, right? I'm Tsubasa Andou, Flame's new VP! Nice t'meet `ya!" he introduced cheerfully extending a hand.

I debated for a moment if I should shake it or do some judo wrestling move at him. I decided on shaking it in the end – I didn't want to cause a scene _and _I didn't know any judo. "Sakura Mikan," I said grimly. "Nice to meet you, too."

With a final salute, Andou Tsubasa winks and walks away. I couldn't help but cast a sly glance at Misaki-senpai who was glued to where she was standing, blushing furiously. Well _that_ oughtta prove something.

"I don't like him," I say subconsciously. "I can imagine him dozing off instead of working or something."

I spotted a sudden jolt of movement from the frozen Misaki. I smirked to myself. _Bingo_.

I continued, walking to the elevator. "And I think that hat of his is illegal."

Yakako nodded, pressing the buttons on the elevator. "Yes, I remember employees aren't supposed to be wearing those," she says quietly as she turns to Misaki. "And Mr. Hyuuga's pretty strict when it comes to attire." - Yakako looks at Misaki-senpai, as if thinking. - "That's why he fired Amane Rui, right? He was cross-dressing – Misaki-san?"

Misaki-senpai raised her head. "S-sorry, I was dozing off," she said quietly.

I pursed my lips, feeling a little guilty. I shouldn't have mentioned star-guy in a negative way. I mean, if anybody insulted Natsume in front of me, I'd definitely…

_Wait._

Oh, what the heck! Never mind!

For a moment, the three of us fell quiet. It was then Misaki-senpai spoke. "That Andou guy - he sure is a nutcase!" she said suddenly, forcing a laugh.

I studied her for a second. Why was she hiding that she and Tsubasa have _something_?

"And, yeah, he should be fired because of what he's wearing!" Senpai laughed again.

I groaned and glared at her. "Would you stop?" I snapped.

Senpai's brows furrowed together. "Wh-at?"

I took in a deep breath, feeling suddenly annoyed with her acting dumb. "Look, I _know_ what you two have been doing and _please_, God, _please_ stop liking him because he's not the right guy for you!" I groaned.

I was actually hoping for a solemn "I know. You're right." answer from her when she suddenly yelled. "Shut up! At least I'm not in a relationship where the two of you practically ignore each other all the time! Not like it's some kind of _pretend_!" I suddenly froze at the word. She was talking about me and Natsume. And she said something about _pretend_. Oh, God.

"Misaki-san -" Yakako started, in a low, comforting voice.

Misaki-senpai turned her head to her. "No. _You_ stop. You knew about this, too, didn't you? I _heard _you talking to the other employees about it," she said, her words forming into an unstoppable avalanche.

"Misa -"

Senpai raised one hand at her. "Don't even _try_ to deny it, Yakako," she said firmly as the elevator doors opened, finding herself marching towards her desk.

I knew this was my floor, too, but I didn't step out. I was frozen on the spot, letting the elevator doors close again, and thinking of what Senpai had said.

"I'm sorry she suddenly exploded like that," Yakako said quietly on her behalf. "This has been going on around the office during the time you were away," she paused, "And there were a lot of people saying bad things about Misaki-san because of the rumors."

I gripped back on reality. "What rumors?" I forced myself to say, still quite dumbfound.

Yakako bit her lower lip. "That they were secretly meeting during evenings at Flame when nobody's around," she half-whispered when someone stepped inside the elevator on the next floor.

Yes, that was true. What we saw last night was the live proof of it. I breathed in. I shouldn't have pressed her. I shouldn't have. Urgh, I can't believe I'm already _this_ insensitive and reckless! I didn't even think of what Misaki-senpai would think if I confronted her!

Yakako looked away, her purple eyes looking distant. "I guess…everybody's going to give in at some point," she added.

.

I read and reread the note in my hands repeatedly, not really understanding anything. My eyes were looking at the letters, but I don't actually see them. From across the room, I hear Natsume's hands pressing on the keyboard and constant clicks from his USB mouse.

It was when the room fell completely silent that I looked up to him, meeting his fire-red eyes.

"What is it this time?" he asked his voice monotonous.

I looked away, avoiding his stare. "What do you mean?" I ask quietly.

Natsume tch-ed and continued his fast typing. "You're a bad liar," he said, probably for the millionth time that I've memorized how he says it. But I'm kind of relieved, though. The last time I remembered, he said this to me when I was being so worked up on Nobara-chan.

I suddenly find myself giving in. "I know!" I admitted, eying him in question. "Have you ever really, really messed up?" I asked, this time trying to look in his eyes. I groaned realizing it was quite impossible for someone like him to mess up. I mean, I couldn't even _imagine_ it happening. "No, scratch that," I say. "Have you ever felt like you did something wrong?"

"Inevitably," he answered coolly.

I sigh loudly, sinking back to my chair like hot butter melting in the sun. "It's Misaki-senpai," I confess, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "I think I might have angered her – no, en_raged _her!" I sat up straight again, groaning, still trying to meet Natsume's eyes, but he wouldn't look up. "What do I do?"

For about five minutes, Natsume said nothing. I said nothing, too, staring at him type on his blue laptop and waiting for an answer. "Give her time," he said, sounding so sure that I found myself taking everything he said in without question. "She needs space."

I nodded slowly, reading again the note on my hand, still not comprehending its context.

"Do you think I've gone too far?" I asked him, having a clear thought that he knew what I was talking about. But I mention it aloud, anyway. "I told Misaki-senpai that Andou Tsubasa wasn't the right person for her."

It took a moment before he answered. "You invaded her privacy," he replied, not really answering my question. It was still a clear "yes", anyway, so he needed not to.

I pursed my lips, trying to rewind what happened the last few days, drumming my fingers lightly on my desk. And then it hit me – was that why he didn't disturb them the other night? Because they needed _privacy_? I eyed Natsume suspiciously and debated it wasn't it. Merely because I couldn't accept the fact that he may be more of a good person than I give him credit for.

I frowned, looking at him. "Is it okay that I take the rest of the day off?" I asked quietly.

Natsume finally looked up at me, as if surprised at my request. "That'll be deducted from your salary," he said.

I nodded, gathering all my things. "I know," I said. "I'm pretty useless today, anyway," I added, glancing at the memo in my desk.

Natsume went back to typing when he replied. "Do what you want."

I smiled as I stood up and read the memo one last time. "Akira Tonouichi would like to be called today regarding the advertisements," I informed him.

Natsume smirked. "Already did."

.

"Natsume, what's your father like?" I asked, probably for the millionth time for the past three hours.

"I told you," Natsume said, eying the road before him, "he's a painter."

I rolled my eyes. It was also probably the millionth time he answered that.

I decided on giving it another two minutes before I asked again. I looked outside the car window to examine our surroundings. We left at about six o'clock in the morning and headed to wherever his father was. (I asked, and he would answer, "His house.") I could see tall trees surrounding the highway and small, wooden traditional Japanese-style houses in the background that almost reminded me of home.

"What's your father like?" I asked again, still looking at the trees and houses that we drove past.

"Painter," he said again in a bored tone.

"Does he live alone?"

"No."

I turned to look at him suspiciously. "You mean he has a girlfriend?" I asked, eyes widened.

For a moment, I heard Natsume chuckle. "No," he simply said after.

My brows furrowed in confusion. Usually, when there are people divorced one or both the parties already have boyfriends or girlfriends, right? "Then who does he live with?" I asked, finally, after mentally debating if he was lying or not.

When Natsume didn't answer, I asked another. "You mean you have a sibling?"

Natsume still not bothered to look at me. "Yes," he replied flatly.

I blinked twice. I didn't know Natsume had a brother or sister! "Girl or boy?" I questioned yet another.

Natsume seemed to smirk at some private joke when I asked. "Why don't you see for yourself?" he asked, instead.

Suddenly, I was confused. Why won't Natsume answer the questions properly? Was he trying to hide something? At the corner of my eye, I saw his right hand move from the driving wheel to the radio, turning it on. Obviously, he wanted me to get distracted instead of asking him endless questions.

I immediately turned the radio off, again. "How old?" I asked, still persistent.

"Who?" I could sense he was trying to tick me off.

"Your sibling," I say, rolling my eyes.

Natsume paused before he answered. "How old is Youichi?" My eyes narrowed. _Why_ is he trying to divert the topic?

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I dunno – ten?" I approximated. "How old is your brother or sister?"

"Ten," he said. I glared at him. Was he just saying that, or he meant it? Moreover, I didn't intend to lose to him.

"When was the last time you saw each other?"

Natsume shrugged. "Two years?"

"What's he like?" I asked, finally deciding to refer to the anonymous sibling as a guy. I saw Natsume smirk again at another private joke in his head.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" he repeated.

I groaned loudly, facing the window again. There was _clearly _no use in talking to him! It was like there was another world in his head and he was getting harder and harder to read. In a way it was depressing...and utterly, utterly annoying.

It was about another fifteen minutes after when Natsume finally pulled in in front of a house slightly bigger than the rest in the village. It was still traditional Japanese, but with a gazebo and a wide lawn in front of it. I also noticed that there was no house across it, just a view of the green mountains and sky.

I hastily removed my seat-belt and stepped out of the car in awe. As old as the house may seem, it still found it as beautiful and amazing as Igarashi Kaoru's mansion.

"Is this it?" I asked, dazed.

Natsume was staring at the house, too, but his expression was unreadable. "Yes," he replied, almost sounding relieved.

"Onii-sama!" I heard a voice yell in the distance. I quickly turned my head at the tree nearby and saw a boy about Youichi's age climbing down and heading towards our direction. So this is Natsume's sibling, I thought.

I saw a small smile form in Natsume's face. "Aoi," he said in recognition.

I blinked twice._ Aoi? Isn't that a girl's name?_

I looked at the boy again. He was _clearly_ a boy. He wore over-sized gray shorts, yellow t-shirt, a blue-green jacket, a gray cap and a pair of white sneakers. I tried to shake the Aoi-is-a-girl's-name fact from my head, thinking that Natsume _was_ sort of a girl's name, too, if you changed the syllabication.

I smiled brightly. "Hi, Aoi! It's nice to meet you!" I greeted, extending a hand.

Aoi's big, red eyes stared at it for a moment expressionlessly and then looked back at his brother with a cheery expression. "I'm going to get Daddy now, so wait!" he said, skipping to the house.

I was frozen on the spot. Did that Aoi-kid just _ignore_ me?

"Go get your bag," Natsume ordered, as if he saw nothing.

"D-did you _see _that?" I managed to wail out. "Your brother IGNORED me!"

Natsume walked to the back of the car to get his own baggage and then headed towards the house.

What, now _he_ ignored me, too?!

I groaned silently, taking my bag from the trunk and shut it tight, slowly turning to follow Natsume. It was then I noticed somebody with a royal blue cap standing next to a post nearby, staring – almost glaring – at our direction. My eyes narrowed suspiciously. The person looked strangely familiar, I noted to myself.

When he noticed that I was staring back, I saw him turn around and run away, suddenly. I was about to drop my bags and follow him, when I heard Natsume call out to me.

"What are you still doing there?" he asked flatly, then turning back to the house.

I pursed my lips. No, it must've been my imagination. That person couldn't have been who I thought it was.

_Katsuya Takato._

_.  
_

The three of us – Natsume, Aoi and I sat around the table while Mr. Hyuuga prepared lunch. I noticed that he also had the jet-black hair that the whole family had, but his eyes weren't blood-red unlike Natsume, Aoi and Kaoru. Instead, they were green – emerald green. He had his hair tied into a loose ponytail and he clearly hasn't shaved yet.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Mikan," he said, having four bowls in his hands and handing it over to Aoi who stood up to help him. "I've read a lot about you from Natsume's e-mails."

I cast a glance to Natsume who was casually looking away, as if he wasn't hearing anything. I was about to ask Mr. Hyuuga what the letters contained, whey I figured I really didn't want to know because there was always a slight possibility that he mentioned to him, "Dear Dad, I met this girl on the plane who wears lucky polka-dotted panties and just-so-happens to be my fiancée. PS – She has a strange strawberry sickness."

For a moment, the whole surrounding was silent and the only sound that can be heard is the porcelain bowls against the wooden table that Aoi had carefully lay.

"I hear you're from Hokkaido?" he asked conversationally.

I nodded and smiled. "Ah, yes. It's where my Mom and Grandpa live."

Mr. Hyuuga nodded, too, this time handing over to Aoi the rice-cooker. This time, he turned to Natsume. "How's your mother?" he asked, still trying to sound conversational, but clearly failed because the slight crack in his voice was a dead giveaway.

Natsume ignored him, and Aoi stopped in his tracks for a moment before gently placing the rice-cooker on the table. I could sense the slight tension in the atmosphere. It was as if the Kaoru-topic has not been brought up in so many years, until today.

"She's still the same," Natsume replied. I was not sure if that meant positive or negative.

Aoi's jaw tightly clenched after that. "And by 'the same' you mean she's still the old, annoying hag she's always been."

I froze at the tone Aoi used to describe his mother. No, Kaoru wasn't really hateful! I know because I've spoken to her a lot of times already and she was really as caring and as loving as any mother was. But, when it was with her sons, she always kept pretending she wasn't like that and she didn't care but I know she does! I just _know_ it!

Aoi then headed quickly to the short staircase.

"You're not going to eat, Aoi?" Mr. Hyuuga asked, concerned.

"Not hungry anymore!" I heard him call out.

I saw Mr. Hyuuga sigh silently. "Sorry about that," he said, mostly to me.

I shook my head and smiled. "It's okay. I understand."

.

I run my fingers lightly on the painted canvases. They were beautiful, I thought, almost magical. Slowly, I turn myself to my own canvas, blank and empty.

I sighed. Mr. Hyuuga had suggested that Natsume and I go painting in his gazebo, after noticing that we were sitting across each other in silence and boredom right after breakfast. To be honest, I haven't got a clue to what to do. There was a vase in the table before us, lighted by the rays of sunlight from the outside.

After a while, I decided to start with the outline of the vase in black paint.

"You're doing it all wrong," Natsume said suddenly from behind me.

I almost jumped in surprise.

He took the paintbrush from my right hand and washed it with water before dipping it into the light orange-brown paint. "If you're going to do outline, use this color," he said, drawing the figure of the vase quickly on the white canvas. "It doesn't show anymore when you add the proper color."

I nodded slowly, studying what he had drawn. It was the perfect replica of the vase. I never imagined Natsume to be an artist, too, but I guess it was natural since his father was a painter.

"Do you paint as well?" I asked, though the answer was obvious. From where I was standing I could see his canvas. The background and the table weren't finished yet but the vase, itself, was already very striking.

Natsume shrugged. "I haven't in three years."

"But you're still good," I added subconsciously.

Natsume handed the brush back to me and walked around the gazebo, glancing at the paintings that hung on the pillars. I slowly outlined the table next, noticing my straight lights slowly going diagonal. I stomped my feet and groaned in frustration. "How the heck do you do it?!"

Natsume looked from one of the paintings to me. "Do what?" he asked, though it was obvious he knew. It made me wonder why he still bothers asking. To make sure, maybe?

"Painting!" I shot back, crossing my arms.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Natsume smirk in amusement as he walked towards my direction and takes my paintbrush again. He was right beside me now and I could feel his left arm against my right. I felt my cheeks go warm for a moment, but I try to shake it off.

I intently watched him as he positioned his left hand directly below his right, as if supporting the weight of his hand as he slowly does a stroke down and then he forms a straight line. I look at it in awe. Remind me to make a list of what Natsume _couldn't_ do and I'd try to master it to show off in his face.

"Woah," I mutter, looking at him in amazement. "And then what do you do next after that?" I asked, dazed as I stared at his perfect face. It was flawless, I thought. It was like he was some kind of bishounen from an anime coming to life and standing next to you.

"Put in the most dominant color you see in the figure lightly," he instructed, dipping the paintbrush into a dark brown color.

It wasn't the first time I took notice of Natsume's eyes, but I was sure it wasn't the last time I'd adore them. They were playing in the shade of blood-red, orange, auburn and crimson and it was hard to figure out what shade of red they really were. They were round, almost cat-like and he had these thick, long lashes that you'd normally see in a girl's eyes.

"I'd tell you another tip," he said, his lips slightly tugging upwards. "Can you keep a secret?"

I nodded, dazed.

Right then and there, Natsume stopped coloring the canvas as he looked at me straight in the eye. I fought my urge to stare back at him and look away, but I had no control. Smirking, he slowly said, "If you really want to learn, stop staring at the one who's teaching."

My eyes widened in realization. Oh shit! I was staring at him!

Abruptly, I looked away avoiding his bemused expression. "I...uh..." I coughed, turning at the painting utensils, pretending to examine them. "What do you do if...um...you make a mistake?" I asked dumbly, refusing to look at him again.

Natsume got back to working on my painting. "Paint in another color to cover it up," he said calmly, but I could still hear the amusement in his voice. "But make sure it's dry so the colors won't mix up."

I nodded, still looking at the utensils, pretending to be interested in them.

I can't believe it! I can't _freaking_ believe he caught me staring! Suddenly, I feel so stupid, thinking back to what I was thinking before he snapped me out of my trance. God, I can't believe I was adoring his EYES! I mean, what's happening to me?! I've gone mad! MAD, I tell you!

"So...uh..." I started, again, in attempt of taking on a conversation so that he won't remind me of my previous blooper.

_That's it, Mikan. Think. Think!_

"A-Aoi's a girl's name, right?" I asked dumbly.

_Oh, that's it, you blew it!_

And there he was again, looking as if he had another private joke in his head. I mean, it was probably the third time today I've seen him wear that expression when his brother was mentioned. And by the way he reacted; I was almost relieved that I brought up the topic. _Almost_.

"What do you think?" he countered, just like he always did, with a question.

My eyes narrowed at him. "What are you thinking?"

Natsume smirked again, handing over the brush back to me. "How about you continue?" he suggested.

I glared at Natsume this time. It was obvious that he was hiding something from me. And whether it was good or bad, I wanted to know!

"Stop trying to change the stupid subject!" I yell at him, refusing to take the paintbrush from his hand. "What were you thinking when I said that Aoi's name was for girls?!" I pressed.

Natsume was grinning at me now, his joke obviously running around his head again. "What are you talking about?" He was acting dumb again.

I groaned loudly and dipped my index finger on the green paint and wiped it directly on his face.

Natsume glared, dipping the paintbrush in God-knows-what color and stroked it on one side of my hair.

"What the heck?!" I quickly pressed my hand on the whole paint rack, or whatever it's called that artists used in attempt to press it again on Natsume's face, when he elegantly dodged and stroked another line of paint on my forehead.

My eyes widened as I wiped the paint with the back of my hand, finding out he used yellow with slight traces of brown. I attempted to press my palm on his face again, but he ducked and stepped away.

"Come back here, you!" I shouted furiously, running after him towards the outside of the gazebo.

"You have awful aim," he provocatively noted, smirking as he dodged another one of my blows.

I was about to cast another when I noticed Natsume's father standing in the view. I quickly stood straight in acknowledgment to his presence. When Natsume noticed, he looked at his direction. "The idiot wasted your paint," he said suddenly, pointing at me accusingly with the paintbrush he was still holding.

"Wha – no, I didn't!" I countered, though I knew _I_ did start the paint war.

Natsume looked at me with a bored expression nonchalantly playing with the object in his hands. "Yes, you did."

I felt a nerve twitch. "I didn't!" Yes, I did.

I was suddenly surprised when Mr. Hyuuga laughed from the distance. "It's okay, I have lots of spare," he said, walking towards our direction. I saw Natsume hand over the brush to his father, looking at him with an unreadable expression.

Mr. Hyuuga smiled back at him. "Its okay, go clean up yourselves," he said.

What, did I miss something?

I glanced back at Natsume, who was now walking back towards the house. I didn't remember hearing Natsume offer his father help. Did he?

"Hey, wait up!" I called, catching up.

"The color in your hand is disgusting," he simply said.

I look at my palm and crunch my nose in disgust. The color was now grayish-green with a tinge of brown. "It was rainbow before," I say.

For a moment, I heard Natsume chuckle as he opened the door. The next, I laughed, too.

.

It took longer than expected for me to clean up. I mean, try washing off paint in your hair, for God's sake!

I look at my brown hair again in the mirror, before sighing in relief that all the paint was gone. It was a good thing Natsume didn't put on that much acrylic or else I'd be forced to cut my hair short.

I glance at the room I was in. There was only one available guest room in the house, so Natsume and I must share it. Not that I didn't mind, I already tried sharing a room with him before and in order to keep our little facade, I shouldn't refuse or anything anymore.

It was not as grand as the hotel room or the rooms in Kaoru's mansion, but the atmosphere kind of made me feel like home. There wasn't a bed – only one big futon on the floor, just like Jii-chan's room back in Hokkaido.

I stare at my reflection again for the last time before standing up. I slapped my cheeks slightly, remembering the incident a while ago. I shivered. Suddenly, I feel so stupid all over again.

I opened the door, walked down the hall and towards the staircase when I saw Natsume about to head upstairs.

"Hey, go get Aoi for me, will you?" he said flatly, turning away. It was quite obvious that he was too lazy to go get him himself.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey, I don't even know where his room is!" I called out to him.

"Next room on the left," he said, his voice trailing off.

I groaned and followed his directions. Finding the door open, I popped my head in. "Hey, Aoi-kun, Natsume wants to see y -"

OH. MY. _GOD._

Aoi and I stare awkwardly at each other. He had his shirt up, clearly changing, when I notice his figure. He wasn't a _he_! Aoi was a GIRL!

Aoi screamed at the top of her lungs as she banged the door, telling me to go away.

Slowly, I sink to the floor. I _swear_ to never ticked off with Natsume's private jokes again.

.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't know -" I interjected for the fifth time the last minute to Aoi who had been getting worked up non-stop about getting her "privacy" and how she was going to give me a "piece of her mind". GREAT. Just how I wanted things to be – Natsume's own little sister hating me.

"You know, you girls are always the same! You butt into other people's business; you _always_ think you're right and you. Girls. Are. God, annoying!" she screeched, throwing her hands in the air and walking in circles.

Natsume was sitting at the far-end of the living room, flipping through today's newspaper. Though, as far as I knew, he wasn't reading at all because he had that bored look upon his face that he always wore when he scans through the resumes or investment letters that I read in the end because when I ask him about what it contains, he gives me a flat stare saying, "I didn't read them."

"But you're a -" I was about to say "But you're a girl, too!" when I see Natsume subtly shaking his head at the newspaper, as if telling me not to continue.

Aoi turned to me angrily. "What, you were gonna say "I'm a girl, too", right?" she demanded, and just as I opened my mouth to speak, she raised one finger at me and said, "Don't deny." quickly.

I shut my mouth tight, deciding not to speak anymore, since, clearly, she wanted the last word.

"Look here, Miss Pigtails," she continued, her hands on her waist. Aoi wasn't wearing the jacket and the shorts that she was wearing a while ago. Instead, she wore a black denim skirt and a white tee saying: I'm not stubborn, my way is just better, and had hair clips on her black, short hair that fell to the middle of her neck. It was then I remembered what Yakako said about Natsume having issues on cross-dressing – this was probably the reason for it. I mean, _good heavens_, have a family member complaining about her own sex and see how it feels like!

"I'm not like you or any other girl in this world," she said, sounding proud. "I am an honorary boy, studying at an all-boys private school to avoid mingling with _girls_ like you." She said the word "girls" in obvious disgust. I mentally sighed. I couldn't believe it, I just couldn't. I just found out Natsume had a boy sister roughly fifteen minutes ago and she was now telling me that girls were despicable.

"You know, I bet you're just like mother!" she further added angrily. I froze.

I saw Natsume's head slightly rise at Aoi's comment.

"Aoi," I hear her father say from the distance, clearly hearing what Aoi just said, but she ignored him.

"I bet you're going to be running away from Natsume-nii-sama's life just because of _stupid_ money, just like she did!"

"Aoi!" Mr. Hyuuga said again, his voice raising.

Aoi ignored him again, still glaring at me. "And one day you're gonna have kids asking themselves what the heck went wrong!" she raised her voice in the end, but it cracked the same time I noticed her red orbs becoming watery.

"Aoi -"

This time, I was the one who ignored Mr. Hyuuga. "Look, Aoi-chan," I said quickly, half-expecting her to interrupt while I was talking. "You can't judge humanity because one of them just-so-happens to be evil, the same way _you_ can't judge the whole female race just because one did something wrong!" I say to her as she looked away.

"Aoi-chan," I said in a softer tone, taking in a deep breath, "I love your brother and not in a million years would I do that to him."

I saw Aoi's features tighten as she stormed back to her room in silence.

"Aoi!" Mr. Hyuuga called again, excusing himself and going after her.

I sighed after a while and it was then I noticed Natsume smirking widely at the newspaper, although it was obvious it wasn't because of anything written on it.

"What are you smirking at?" I asked him suspiciously.

Natsume pretended to think. "I don't remember, do you?" he asked, almost mocking.

I furrowed my eyebrows together. "What the heck are you talking abo -" OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALL GOOD AND GRACIOUS. Freaking hell, _tell_ me, please_ tell _me I didn't just say I _loved _him!

I felt blood rush to my cheeks as I jumped off of my seat. "No, I didn't mean that! I was…I was…" I trailed off, biting my low lip hard and shaking my hand in front of me in tension. "No, you don't understand – I…I…I meant…"

"You meant you loved me."

My eyes widened. "N-no, I didn't! I didn't say that!"

"I heard you."

I bit my lower lip again, stomped my feet and stormed out of the house. Oh, goddamn it! I wanted to die! DIE, I tell you! I can't believe I subconsciously _said_ that I loved him – which I don't, I honestly _don't_ -

I stopped at my tracks and buried my face in my hands.

Oh, who am I kidding? Of course I was in love with him. I honestly, honestly was.

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	14. Fireworks

**05/19/11** Chapter officially edited. Thanks to DreamingReverie!

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Thanks so much to those who read and reviewed the previous chapter! **Eco Panda, Amethyst Teardrops, -Tribal_Addict-, chello-chan, -BlueRaven35-, yExhiNa sAkUrei, Xim-no-writerX, NatsuMikanAnimeAddict **(Thanks for that review! Totally made my day. :") Haha. I hope I don't disappoint you in this chapter. ;)**, Cutenatsumexmikan, khul8z 911, marvic31, microbeateria, midnightsnow03, '-MiNi_RAi-', chainedheart999, Blissful Delight, animefreak1394, natsu''ruka, LostAbyss, Harumi igarashi, Keraii, DreamingReverie, SaKuRa-cHaN41, thundra18, mystery gal, huyutfsakura, RandomChibiDemon-chan, Christine Deah, ninghui465, Lieutenant Sarcasm, leaaaums, Greentulip, redsakuranbo, TheHeideePayas, Smori, HikariYasashii, Kyra Marie, animechic12, Random Romantasist 999, Kellyx2lovelyxAnne, , fantoomx54, Harumi Igarashi, sweetmartiesandniblets, katieliciousss, , bigasschain, Kuroichibineko, Annevader, The Lonely Serenade, Little-Miss-Friendly, SakuraElieChan, Tengu Crow Demon Lover, once love lost, Anna. xD, akadabra-kaching, annereecelle, kara'mel'-chan, 3 3 3, YunnahVanilla, jujuu, AnGeL sAkUrA15, tangerinesweetheart, beavermeadowsbev, Maria-Reynne, XxAoiHoshixX, Yqueeny, kawaii animefreak yuuki-chan21, PridefulElizondo, KyouyaxCloud, unluckypancake, ruuridolls, simply-cheeby, abbyciel, Anjali-chan, statics777, monkeydietz and michiko-naoki.**

I haven't updated for a very, very, very long time. I know. I had shitload of work to do and I didn't really have that much time to write anymore. Shame. Hmm. Well, I can say that there are only four more chapters to go plus the Ultimatum before this fanfiction officially ends. And then another Natsume x Mikan fanfic to start. :D Haha. I hope you readers haven't forgotten moi yet. ;) Anyway, since I love you all, this chapter is for you. :]

Annddd as much as I'd love to, I don't own this glorious anime. D:

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**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

"_Natsume," There was something with the way I said his name, like I was savoring every letter, every syllable coming from my lips. I hated how I needed to ask him this, but I figured that after some time it would be inevitable. After all, I didn't want to be _that_ surprised when things like these did come up in the future._

_I watched his face glow with different colors while hearing the loud blast of fireworks from the lawn. "What?" he said._

_I paused for a moment, thinking my words carefully. Then, I pursed my lips and looked away._

"_How does this end?" I finally asked, after about a minute._

"_How does what end?" he asked, having a hint of confusion in his voice._

_I sighed. As I said, I hated explaining this to him, but knew I had to. "You know. _This_," I paused again, "This whole pretend thing we're doing."_

_When Natsume didn't answer, it was a signal for me to go on. "Surely you don't want to get married this way," I said, my voice beginning to sound softer and softer, "To me, at least."_

_Natsume stared at the flashing lights in the sky, like he was hypnotized by the splash of different colors. And as much as I wanted to deny it, it hurt me when I heard what his answer was even if I half-expected it anyway._

"_No," he answered. "I don't."_

**XIV. FIREWORKS**

I awoke at the sound of birds just outside the wooden window and found myself alone at the futon lying on the floor. The previous days have been terribly awkward for me. Well, it _is_ technically my fault for blurting out that unwanted confession of mine. Gladly, Natsume stopped harassing me about that and went back to his normal I-don't-care attitude, but I couldn't move on that easily. After all, he heard, right? _Right?_

I slowly sat up and stared at the empty space beside me. _Natsume slept here. _

Unconsciously, I picked up the pillow beside mine and inhaled its scent. His scent. The scent I have familiarized myself into. And hopefully un-familiarize when all of this is over – if only it was that easy.

_God_, I sound like a stalker now.

Pulling away from my trance, I carefully puffed the pillow and started fixing the futon – rolling it and pushing it into the cabinets, like I did for the past three days Natsume and I were here.

I had to admit, I thought we'd only be staying for the weekend, but it seemed like Natsume had other plans. Apparently, I haven't asked him anything about how long we'll have to stay because he deserved to spend time with his father and Aoi after the long time they didn't see each other.

I didn't really know how it felt to have a broken family. My father died when I was young and I never really had the chance to meet him, but at least I knew he died with love for my mother and me. It was always harder to know that both your parents are alive but care not about their love for each other. But then again, if Kaoru and Natsume's dad _did_ stay together and Natsume and Aoi had to live through their childhood seeing their parents fight, it would be like living in hell for them. So it was probably best if they stayed away from each other... though having to split the prize was still not an idea I would prefer.

I stared blankly at the calendar in deep thought. Today was the 27th day of November – a Tuesday.

I stood up from the floor and opened the slide door. I could smell pancakes and bacon from the kitchen even though I'm on the second floor. Huh. They must be preparing breakfast for a king for all I know.

I walked my way to the stairs and was about to head down when I heard a faint "ouch" from one of the rooms.

Curious, I walked to where the sound seemed to come from.

I peeped quietly inside Aoi's room, seeing her stick one of her fingers inside her mouth.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking her hand. Her index finger was still bleeding.

Aoi quickly took her hand away. "I'm _fine. _I'm not a child, you know," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.

I pressed my lips together. "Do you want me to get a band aid for you?" I offered.

"No!" she quickly said. "The first aid kit is downstairs. I can't afford being found out," she further explained, looking at the colorful strips of paper scattered on the floor. I spotted a pair of scissors at the far end that looked like it was thrown in one jerk of motion so I assumed that it was the culprit for Aoi's bleeding.

"What are you doing, anyway?" I asked, crouching down to pick up the scissors before it gets stepped on and placing it on the wooden dresser.

Aoi rolled her eyes in annoyance. She always did this when she spoke to me. Obviously, she'd still prefer if I wasn't here, but things had been a lot more peaceful after we had that yelling drama three days ago.

"Oh _nothing_. I just felt I wanted to cut some strips of art paper and cut myself," she said with obvious sarcasm in her voice.

I crossed my arms and glared at her. "Really," I pushed. "What for?"

The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes again and started sorting out all the colors. "Don't play dumb with me. I bet you've been preparing for this day for weeks!" she said in annoyance.

My brows furrowed. "What are talking about?" I asked, confused.

And that's when Aoi looked at me. I mean _really_ look at me. Like she was deciphering if I was really telling the truth.

"You really don't know!" she said slowly. It wasn't a question. It was a conclusion.

My heart pounded. Know what? What was she talking about? "No... I don't. What – ?"

"_Oh-ho-ho,_" she laughed. But it wasn't like she was happy – it was more like she was surprised. Like when you laugh after somebody surprises you and you realize that it was nothing to be afraid of...something like that. Does that mean she was actually afraid that I knew what she was up to?

"What is it that I don't know?" I asked, throwing my hands up in the air. The suspense was killing me.

Aoi crossed her arms and looked at me smugly. "_You_ claim you _love _my nii-chan, but you don't know that it's his _birthday_ today?" she said in a way that she sounded like she was spitting ever word at me.

I winced. "It's his _birthday_?"

Aoi scoffed and shook her head just moments before Natsume's father came calling from downstairs.

"Aoi, dear," he said. "It's time for breakfast!"

Aoi casts a final glance at me before dashing towards the stairs. "Coming, Dad."

"Oh, and could you wake Mikan-chan for me, dear?"

"The _girl's_ awake," she said in a volume so audible it almost seemed like she wanted me to hear.

_Darn it. How could I not know?_

I buried my face in my hands. I had to get a gift, quick.

* * *

It was a good thing that when I went down, Natsume wasn't around. His dad said something about a client that wanted an immediate meeting. I suddenly felt bad after I learned that he was still working even though it was his birthday. And to think that he could've woken me up because it was practically my job to help him since I was his secretary.

It was also a good thing that Aoi wasn't all that bad to me today. She actually helped me a little bit – told me all the possible gift shops and market places in this area...well before she said that I was all alone in this and it was my responsibility to know when my fiancé's birthday was and before she stormed out of the living room and went back to the _thing _she was making. It was a gigantic birthday card. She was describing it to her father during breakfast with such excitement it almost felt like I was in the conversation – only I wasn't. And she made that clear to me when she was always adding "Dad" to her sentences.

Like, "You should see it once it's done, _Dad_!" or "_Dad_, do you think Nii-chan will like it?"

I was in the maze of my thoughts when I felt somebody tug my shirt. I quickly whirled around to see a toffee-haired kid running towards the opposite direction.

_Huh. What was that?_

I ignored what I saw and went back to walking and thinking and wondered what I should get for Natsume, which was hard because I knew he already had everything. He lived in a five-star hotel, he owned Flame for God's sake and he was perfect – he looked more like a god that a human.

I looked around and saw a small shop for men's apparel – and then it hit me. I could give him a jacket! Since Christmas season was near and all.

I pushed the glass door and entered the shop quickly heading towards the line of jackets on one corner. There I saw different colors of jackets. From the right side it was light-colored and the colors became darker and darker when it reached the other end. I picked up the first white jacket I could see and imagined Natsume in it. _Hm... No._ _I guess not._

I stared at the black jackets debating whether I should get him a black jacket. He always did look best in black.

I headed towards the left side of the rack and took one leather jacket. It looked good. I stuck my hand inside and reached for the price tag.

**9380 JPY. **_No. Too expensive._

I put the jacket bag and reached for another, following the same process. **11818.80 JPY **– God, I could almost cry. Seriously, more than TEN THOUSAND YEN? For a _stupid _jacket? I quickly put it back and took another.

This one was sort of different from the others and there was something I was sure of – the jacket was leather. I smiled to my self, imagining him wearing this. It matched him perfectly! I shoved my hand inside and read the tag. **5440.40 JPY**. Huh. That was a lot cheaper than the others. I was actually expecting it to be more expensive.

I headed to the counter with the jacket in my hand. "Excuse me, Miss?" I called to the saleslady by the counter.

"Hm... yes? May I help you?" she asked politely, propping the ball pen she was holding on the desk and facing me.

"Actually, yes," I said, smiling. "I came to ask how much this one costs."

There was a hint of recognition in her face. "Ah, yes, that one. It's the last of the design. Everything else is sold out the past week so it's marked down by fifty percent," she said, smiling back. "Is it for your boyfriend?"

I looked at the jacket and then back to her. "Ah, yes," I paused. "My fiancé, actually." _My pretend fiancé, actually._

Her green eyes glimmered. "Well, he sure is a lucky man," she commented, stretching her hand and taking the jacket. She shoved looked in the price tag and punched in some numbers in the cashier.

She smiled. "That would be five four forty-one," she said.

I nodded at her and reached for my wallet in my right back pocket. _None_. I reached again. _None._

I laughed nervously. "Sorry. I must've placed my wallet in my other pocket," I said, reaching for the other. _None._

Doom has stricken unto me. _Where was my wallet?_

I frantically searched in the other pockets and found nothing. "I'm really sorry. I could've sworn I took it with me," I laughed again, attempting to sound calm but I knew I was in the verge of panicking. There was about ten thousand yen in there and I couldn't afford to lose it. "I must've misplaced –"

I gasped. _Shit._

The saleslady looked at me with concern. "Are you okay, Miss?"

"No." I swallowed, remembering the kid with toffee-colored hair from a while ago. "I was robbed."

* * *

It was Aoi who opened the door for me.

She crossed her arms. She was wearing a faded yellow t-shirt, a pair of loose shorts and sneakers. If you didn't know she was a girl, you would think that she _was_ a boy. "Well you look rather," she paused, eyeing me from head to toe, "dashing."

I sighed and shook my head. She was lying. I was a wreck.

After I realized that a boy robbed me, I went running outside the shop, looking for him. Kindly enough, some people actually helped me and told me that they _did_ see the boy and told me in which direction he was in – except they merely pointed out random directions and in the end I didn't really find what I was looking for.

"Did you end up buying anything?" Aoi asked, slouching in the couch and turning back to her television.

"I almost did," I said, sighing.

Aoi raised one eyebrow. "Well? What happened?"

I pursed my lips. "I was robbed," I confessed, sighing again.

Aoi scoffed and rolled her eyes. "_Girls_. You are _so _clueless."

I glared at her. "Am not!"

Aoi smirked. "Oh _really _now? Lemme guess – you had your money in your back pocket, didn't you?"

I pressed my lips together and looked away.

It was then Aoi turned the television off and laughed. "How _stupid_ can you possibly get? I mean _everybody _knows you must put your money somewhere you can easily access it. I mean, you're so _vulnerable!_ It's a miracle my brother chose _you_ to be his fiancée!"

Ouch. That stung.

Mr. Hyuuga emerged from the door with a serious expression. "Aoi, that's not a nice thing to say."

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm telling the truth," she said and faced me again, "It's almost like you and Nii-chan are just _pretending_ to be together for God-knows-what reasons. It's pathetic."

I bit my lip. She was right. What she said was right – and she wasn't the only one to notice it, too... Misaki-senpai said the same thing.

"Aoi Hyuuga, stop that now! Go to your room!" Mr. Hyuuga ordered, now almost shouting.

Aoi held her head high and stood up, "At least I didn't forget Nii-chan's birthday," she said only for me to hear before she stomped to her room.

There was awkward silence between Mr. Hyuuga and I after Aoi stormed out of the scene.

"Mikan..." he started.

I forced a smile and looked at him. "No, it's okay," I said. "Is Natsume back?"

He frowned. "No, but he'll be back soon, I think."

I nodded, heading to the door. "I'm just going to get some fresh air."

Mr. Hyuuga looked at me with concern. "Well, okay. But be back for lunch time."

I smiled faintly at him. "I will. Thanks."

* * *

_Tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic-tic._

What was that?

_Tic-tic-tic-tic-tic._

I slowly opened my eyes, awoken buy the repeated thudding.

"Sorry," I heard a faint voice say, "Did I wake you?"

Natsume was sitting in front of the desk in our room with a blank expression plastered in his face.

"It's okay," I said, shifting slightly, "I think I've had enough sleep anyway."

"Hn."

Silence.

I hated silence. It was like the atmosphere around you felt heavier and like everything was awkward.

"Where have you been?" I asked.

Natsume continued typing, then pressed backspace for about five seconds, seeming like he just erased everything he wrote. "A client wasn't able to get what he wanted so he filed a lawsuit against Flame."

I immediately sat up. "A lawsuit?"

Natsume let out a short breath. "Yeah, but I took care of it. I scheduled a meeting tomorrow at ten."

I frowned. "So we're going back?"

He paused for a moment and then typed again. "Yes," he said, while typing.

I nodded and started fixing the blankets and pillows for the second time today.

"I heard you got robbed," he said.

I stiffened. "Who told you?"

He paused. "Dad did."

I pursed my lips. "Yeah. This kid took my wallet while I was strolling around town," I said to him.

Natsume didn't say anything back, so I talked instead. "What else did your dad tell you?" I asked.

Natsume stopped typing and looked at me for the first time today. "No. Is there anything else he should be telling me?" he asked back, raising one eyebrow.

I shook my head and forced a smile. "No. I was just asking," I answered.

_That was a relief._ I couldn't really afford Natsume knowing what Aoi said. Though, I knew he wouldn't really care and most probably agree with his sister. Who was I in this household anyway? I was merely an outsider in this family. I was making everything out of order. If I hadn't come to his life – I decided to decline that letter from Flame, this would never have happened. I never would have been in this pathetic mess. This pathetic mess where I was pathetically in love with the one person who couldn't love me back.

What Aoi said was true. I didn't deserve to be with his brother. Natsume was perfect...and I was the only imperfect thing in his perfect world.

I inhaled slowly. "Natsume?"

"What?"

I paused, debating if it was the right decision for me to be asking him this.

And I decided otherwise. "Nothing," I said, forcing another smile.

I stood up and headed to the sliding door, casting one final glance at him.

"Happy birthday," I said as cheerfully as I could.

He looked at me again for a moment and then closed his laptop. "What is it?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

He eyed me expressionlessly and then went back to his laptop. "Never mind."

I nodded. And then left.

* * *

It was almost ten o'clock in the evening when we all gathered at the lawn. The three Hyuugas were gathered together preparing the fireworks by the gazebo.

"It was our tradition when Aoi and I were kids," Natsume explained to me before we went out. "Every time any of us had a birthday, we would light fireworks."

Natsume looked outside, but it didn't seem that he was looking at anything visible. There was something in his eyes when he said that and it made me feel more neglected than I was before.

I was right. I _was_ nothing but an outsider. And I needed to get the hell out of this mess before things get worse... on the other hand, what could be worse than this? I was already in love with him for starters.

It was moments after when I saw Natsume walking towards me.

"Follow me," he said.

I _did_ follow him, but with my eyes.

"Where are we going?" I asked as clear as I could manage, clutching the paper bag I held in my arms.

He cast one glance at me, saying nothing and beckoning me to follow. This time I did what he wanted.

I followed Natsume inside the house, upstairs, into one of the rooms and stopped when I realized she was climbing out the window.

"_What_ are you doing? You could get killed if you fall!" I said, my reflex action, pulling him back.

Natsume almost chuckled at my expression. "I won't get killed falling down the second floor," he said, continuing to do what he was doing.

I quickly stuck my head out of the window and began to look left and right. Holy cows and coconuts! HE'S GONE!

I swallowed. "Natsume?"

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD. MAYBE THE ZOMBIES ATE HIM.

"I'm here, stupid," I heard him say. I quickly looked up, following the sound of his voice.

My eyes widened. "How did you get in there?"

Natsume smirked and pointed at the stairs propped against the wall. And then he moved away and he was, again, out of my sight.

I sighed. What a gentleman!

Still holding the paper bag, I climbed out the window and towards the roof. When I got there, Natsume was already sitting down, looking at the dark sky. I never really noticed, but the stars _did_ look brighter when I wasn't in the city. I remembered my mother, Jii-chan and I eating dumplings by the fishpond, doing nothing, just staring at the stars. And when it came, we would always wish on a shooting star – it was sort of like an omen for the three of us.

When I was younger, my mother told me that Dad had turned into one of those stars and that he was watching us day and night. Well it's not like I still totally believe it now, but _if_ my father was out there, he could be the one bringing us those shooting stars. That's why it's always been a moment of magic.

I carefully walked towards him and sat down, mimicking his action. I was now looking at the stars, too, because I found it pretty much awkward that we were here this evening.

"This roof always had the best view of the sky," he answered an unasked question.

I nodded, refusing to look at him.

I could feel Natsume looking at me at this moment, probably wondering what was inside this bag I've held during the past hour. I was actually having doubts to whether I _should_ give it to him, since it wasn't much of a present.

Yep. I _did_ buy him a present.

"What's that?" he asked, pointing at the paper bag.

I scrunched my nose. "Oh, it's nothing. I was supposed to give it to you, but..." I trailed off.

Natsume raised one eyebrow and reached for it, but I shoved it away just in time.

"What are you doing?" I almost shouted in surprise.

Natsume shrugged and continued to reach for it, but I kept on shoving it to different directions. "You said you were to give it to me, so technically, what ever is in the bag is mine," he pointed out.

_True, but..._

I looked away. "It's nothing special," I said in a low voice. "Probably the worst give you'll ever receive in your whole life."

Natsume smirked. "We'll see about that," he said, taking the paper bag again and finally succeeding.

I pouted and reached for the paper bag, but it was too late, he had already seen what was inside.

Natsume's expression was unreadable, but there was one thing I was sure of – he didn't like it.

I groaned. "I told you you wouldn't like it," I said, attempting to reach for it again, but he pulled away.

"I never said anything," he said, taking my gift out.

It was a navy blue scarf I bought for one fifty yen at some store.

"I know it isn't much," I said, embarrassed, "but I couldn't afford anything else since I was robbed."

Natsume looked at me. "How were you robbed anyway?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well," I confessed. "But it was my fault, anyway. I had my wallet in my back pocket."

Natsume shrugged. "Hn. Figured as much."

"What was that?" I snapped, annoyed by his remark, but he just ignored me. Instead he stared at the scarf for a moment with an unreadable expression and put it inside the paper bag again.

I stared at him and suddenly remembered what Aoi said before. Maybe, he was thinking about the same thing – and he really didn't have to be anti-female to be able to conclude as much.

I opened my mouth to say something when the fireworks began. Pools of color enveloped the sky as I heard loud booming. Natsume was right – this place _had_ the perfect view of the sky.

We stayed like this for a while. Not talking; just watching the fireworks Aoi and Mr. Hyuuga set up earlier.

I pursed my lips and sighed. _It was now or never_.

"Natsume," There was something with the way I said his name, like I was savoring every letter, every syllable coming from my lips. I hated how I needed to ask him this, but I figured that after some time it would be inevitable. After all, I didn't want to be _that_ surprised when things like these did come up in the future.

I watched his face glow with different colors while hearing the loud blast of fireworks from the lawn. "What?" he said.

I paused for a moment, thinking my words carefully. Then, I pursed my lips and looked away.

"How does this end?" I finally asked, after about a minute.

"How does what end?" he asked, having a hint of confusion in his voice.

I sighed. As I said, I hated explaining this to him, but knew I had to. "You know. _This_," I paused again, "This whole pretend thing we're doing."

When Natsume didn't answer, it was a signal for me to go on. "Surely you don't want to get married this way," I said, my voice beginning to sound softer and softer, "To me, at least."

Natsume stared at the flashing lights in the sky, like he was hypnotized by the splash of different colors. And as much as I wanted to deny it, it hurt me when I heard what his answer was even if I half-expected it anyway.

"No," he answered. "I don't."

I didn't say anything. I was right. And I was pathetic.

I looked up again and realized something – all of this was like a firework. One moment you're dazzled by its beckoning beauty and you find yourself wanting to come closer and closer... only to realize how dangerously close you've become. And on the top of it all, it never lasts. When the display is over, you still get wounded.

* * *

**Mikan: **How does this end?

**Faye: **How does _what_ end?

**Mikan: **You know. _This. _(Sigh) This story.

**Faye: **(DARK EVILLL EYES) It's gonna end with a BOMB. BWAHAHA.

**Mikan: **(Sigh again) I'm too depressed to talk right now, sorry.

* * *

**HEY. Give me some love. :")  
v**


	15. Confessions

**Please, not in any way, copy or rip this story or any of my stories or any of the stories of other authors out there that isn't _yours_.** It gets depressing thinking that there might be someone else out there taking credit for _your_ work when they just copied it from you.

Seriously. Stop. Even if I don't find out, God knows what you're doing. And He knows that what you're doing is wrong.

* * *

Kisses and hugs to the people who reviewed the previous chapter! :* :") **Sherbear111000, lemoncherrylove, annereecelle, Lyndine, CreamConsumer, -Tribal Addict-, crimson duchess08, ChOcOlAtEcOsMoS, justanotherfanofyours, ClearWing, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, akadabra-kaching, BlueRaven35, michiko-naoki, cookiedoughicecream2, thoseredeyes, Amethyst Petals, .., Kriya, unluckypancake, AniMehCrAizE, SakuraPetals13, DreamingReverie **(OMG you're right. =)) I edited the previous chapter. Sorry for my stupidity. ;P)**, chainedheart999, yannn, ritsutainaka, keiXseth, anangelwithnoname, Anna. xD, cutie is here, Nancy Haibara.  
**

Hello hello hello again, readers. Here's another update for ya'll! :) I received lotsa messages last time about the chapter being sorta depressing. Sorry about that. I needed all the help I could get because the story will soon be reaching its climax! (Drum rollsss) Thank you to all of you who continued to read this story from the beginning to this point on! As you can see, last April 22 is this story's second anniversary! :) So here's another chapter for ya'll. ;)

Updates every _Friday_. Stay tune. ;)

And nope. I own nothing but the story. ;)

* * *

**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_I turned around and walked towards the door, about to exit Natsume's room when Misaki-senpai's words stopped me. I swallowed. She was right. She was dead right. It was now or never. Whatever happens happens, right? After all, this will probably be my last chance. He said so himself that this thing will be over soon._

_I sighed and looked back at him. "I have to tell you something," I confessed, looking at my feet._

_He raised an eyebrow. "Something you haven't told me yet?" he said in a mocking tone. Ha-ha. I hated when he did that. I hated when he reminded me of that stupid airplane incident._

_I shook my head slowly, focusing. "You see..." I started, my voice trailing._

_Natsume crossed his arms and looked at me, now serious again. "What?" he pushed, his voice sounding more impatient._

"_I-I..." I stuttered. Should I really be saying this? I mean, what will happen if I _do_? Chances are he'd probably never speak to me again and neglect me and act like we never knew each other and things would never be the same. I was fine with what he had now. I didn't care if what he felt about me wasn't love. As long as it wasn't hate, I was seriously fine with it._

_I pressed my lips together._

_Natsume was now glaring at me, obviously annoyed that I was making him wait this long. "Polka-dots, you have ten seconds before I send you out of this room."_

_I groaned. Oh, what the heck!_

**XV. CONFESSIONS**

I felt absolutely awkward to be back under Flame premises now that I had practically no one to talk to. The morning was awkward, lunch time was awkward, and now that I'm making my way towards the elevator, things were awkward, too.

I pressed the down arrow and waited for the elevator doors to open... only to find Misaki-senpai and Tsubasa side by side among the other three employees inside the elevator.

I froze. I wasn't really in the 'running-into-you-by-accident' mood right now.

The elevator operator looked at me expectantly, as if mentally telling me that if I didn't come in any moment now, she'd close the elevator doors and proceed with her life.

"I – uh..." I stuttered awkwardly. "You know what? I think I forgot something..." I pointed back at Natsume's office. "I guess I'd better go catch the next ride."

With that I twirled around and almost ran towards the inside of the office and shut the door behind me.

Natsume raised his head from the files he was reading. "I thought you went back to the hotel already," he said with no hint of interest in his voice.

I stepped away from the door and walked towards my desk. "I... forgot something," I said lamely.

Natsume said nothing and flipped the page. I looked at him in the corner of my eyes. We haven't really been talking much since last Tuesday. I guess I shouldn't have asked him that on the day of his birthday. I mean, he was already tired from handling that lawsuit a client almost filed (Natsume took care of it right away when we got back and succeeded in convincing the client to give shares to the company) but I still gave him another situation to stress about.

I opened my desk drawer and pretended to look for something. I didn't really want to go back out again right away since there was a ninety-nine percent chance that I run into Misaki-senpai and Tsubasa in the lobby if I left in the next five minutes... which was a risk I pretty much didn't want to take.

I sneaked another look at Natsume again and then went back to my desk drawer. This was what I was talking about earlier. _This_ was being awkward.

"You won't find what you're looking for unless you know what it is," Natsume remarked, not taking his eyes off of what he was reading.

I paused and shuffled at my things again. "I _do _know what I'm looking for," I insisted, not really sure what I was talking about.

Natsume scoffed. "Oh yeah?" he asked closing the file folder he was holding and finally looking at me. "Tell me what it is then, Polka."

I raised my head at him. He always did that – first, not showing any sign of interest at what I was talking about or what I was doing and then he would look at me. I mean _seriously_ look at me and _see_ right through me. I was beginning to think that through the months we've been together, Natsume had already figured me out... which was also very unlikely because no one has ever figured me out before, not even my mother.

I remember when she'd randomly accuse me of something and I don't know what she's talking about and she tells me that I did this and that without my noticing it. She tells me that I'm always changing my mind and I couldn't focus on one thing even for a short time and that my mind always finds itself thinking about something else in the middle of, well, _something else_.

Like now.

"I..." I paused, thinking of what to say next, "was looking for my pen," I finally decided.

Natsume nodded once, as if trying to take it in. "Your pen?" he echoed.

I rummaged through my things again. "Yes. My pen," I said smoothly.

"Let me help then," he said, standing up and heading towards my direction.

I suddenly felt blood run up to my cheeks. _That_ was highly unexpected of him. "Y-you don't need to do that," I said, sounding too eager.

Natsume just shrugged. "Well, the faster you get out of here, the faster I could concentrate without you making those strange noises," he said, inching closer.

I automatically inched back. "Wh-what strange noises?"

Natsume leaned back and chuckled.

My eye brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you t -" I paused and narrowed my eyes. He was just playing with me.

I grunted. "Obnoxious prick," I said through my teeth.

Natsume smirked. "Liar," he countered.

UGH. HE MAKES ME SO ANGRY.

"As if _you're _not a liar yourself!" I countered, crossing my arms.

Natsume ignored me and took one of the paperweight I had in my table and played with it. "Let me guess, you ran into Harada, didn't you?" he asked in a tone so confident, you would assume he was a hundred percent right.

Except he _was_ right.

I looked away. "We're not really..." I pressed my lips together and paused, "okay yet, I guess."

"Hn."

I frowned. I can't believe I'm talking to him about this, but I couldn't hold it in much longer. "You were right," I muttered. "I shouldn't have pushed her." I shook my head and buried my face in my hands. "I'm such a mess. I can't get anything right."

As much as I hated to admit it, the past few days hasn't really been rainbows and butterflies for me. And I just feel that things are beginning to become worse and worse.

I had to tell somebody about Natsume and me – somebody I could trust. But I didn't think there would be anyone out there who can understand what I'm going through.

I sighed, refusing to look at Natsume. Because I was so depressed right now there was a good chance I lose myself and hug him if I looked at him in the eye. And then I had to ask it again. "What do I do?" I didn't really know to whom the question was for this time, but I had to ask it anyway.

I could feel Natsume move beside me, but he didn't say anything.

"Who am I kidding?" I unconsciously muttered, realizing that he wasn't going to answer my question. "Of course you wouldn't suggest anything to do. It's not like you had to go through things like this." I paused. "You're perfect... and as much as I know, I'm the only imperfect thing in your perfect world."

There was a long pause after that. I didn't say anything, he didn't say anything. Awkward. _Again._

"Well?" I said, finally raising my head and looking at him. "Aren't you gonna say anything?"

Natsume was leaning on my table, facing the opposite direction, but he was right next to me. I watched him as he looked up, as if deep in thought. It was the first time I saw him like this. Usually, he'd be doing something else, keeping himself busy, never pausing for thought because he already knew what he needed to do – except now.

"You're wrong," he said, finally.

I tilted my head in confusion. "What do you mean?" I asked.

There was something in Natsume's eyes that I couldn't put my finger on. I glanced at the direction he was looking at, but there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. It was like Natsume was staring into nothingness and looking at something that wasn't there.

"About my life being perfect," he answered after a while. "It's far from it."

I scoffed. "What are you talking about? You're head of the biggest company in all of Japan, you're rich, you're probably the smartest person I know and you're unbelievably handsome." - Natsume smirked at this - "I mean, what for can you wish for?"

Natsume nodded slowly and looked at me. "You think I'm unbelievably handsome?" he asked, still smirking.

I blushed and immediately looked away. "What are you talking about? _Everybody_ does."

Natsume shrugged and looked up again. "There's more to perfection that meets the eye," he said quietly. "Just like there's more to your relationship with Harada than you think."

I shook my head in confusion. "I'm not really getting what you mean," I confessed.

Natsume then stood up straight and began to head back to his table. "If you're really friends with her, then you can make your way out of this," he said, his back facing me.

I was dumbfounded. Oh my God I couldn't believe he was actually giving advice to me. Oh my God I didn't _think _he was capable of giving this kind of advice in the first place.

"Okay," I said in surrender. "Who are you and what have you done to Natsume?"

ZOMBIES. I totally blame zombies for this. I _knew_ they abducted him when we went to that roof during the fireworks display! They must have found a new high-tech way to eat his brains without all then blood and gore.

It was either that ORthe real Natsume was abducted by ALIENS and this was an alien I was speaking to.

Natsume's eyes flashed on mine for a second and went back to reading his folder. "Just get out of here," he said. "You've wasted enough of my time already."

_Alright, I was joking._ _This is totally Natsume._

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Well, I never asked for you to help me anyway!"

Natsume continued on reading his files. "Yes you did," he said.

"Well that was a rhetorical question!" I snapped, gathering my things and stomping out of Natsume's office.

The _nerve_ of that guy! One moment he's nice and then the next, he's back to his normal jerk self. HECK – I JUST LOATHE HIM!

I repeatedly inhaled and exhaled trying to control my temper. I hate him! I hate his guts, I hate his selfishness – if I wasn't so in love with him I'd... well I'd...

I paused in the trance of my thoughts and sighed.

Forget it. It wasn't worth it.

I turned back to the office and quietly opened the door.

"Hey, Natsume?" I called, poking my head in.

Natsume looked at me. "What is it this time?" he said with obvious annoyance in his voice.

I rolled my eyes. "I just wanted to say thank you," I said, making funny faces at him. "So there," I finished, sticking my tongue out.

And from the corner of my eyes, just when I closed the door, I could have sworn I saw him laugh.

* * *

I was standing on the ninth floor of a twelve-story apartment building asking myself for the millionth time if I was really ready to do this. It was eight o'clock in the morning on a Saturday and there I was, holding a carefully-wrapped peace offering and a handwritten letter.

Actually, I needed not to come face to face with Misaki-senpai anyway. Yeah – yeah, I could just leave my gift here and then sound the doorbell and I could run for my life. I mean, what if she doesn't forgive me even if I showed my face and end up rejecting me and our friendship? After all I did a pretty bad thing.

Inwardly, I groaned. What was happening to me? I've grown to become a coward! If my grandfather knew what I was currently up to and what I was planning, he'd be slapping me with his stick by now.

I sighed. Okay. I was going to talk to her face to face and face this problem head-on!

I slowly reached for the doorbell, but the door opened before I could press my finger on it, revealing a surprised Misaki-senpai looking at me.

"I – uh..." I started, scratching the back of my head in nervousness.

The way she narrowed her maroon eyes at me made me shiver. "What are you doing here?" she said in a husky tone.

"I..." I started, lost with words. "I came here to apologize."

Misaki-senpai didn't say anything, so I took that as a chance to continue.

"I – uh... I was out of line," I said, feeling tears blur my sight. "I shouldn't have said those things to you. I should have given you a chance to explain. Really, I didn't mean to hut you or anything so -"

Senpai raised her hand to my face, beckoning me to stop. "Save it," she said. "I don't want to hear it."

"But I -" I pressed, but she cut me off.

"Because it was also my fault and I forgive you."

I blinked twice. Did I just hear that right?

"You... do?" I trailed off, looking at her with doubting eyes.

Misaki-senpai let out a laugh. "Yeah," she said, twirling her fingers together and looking down at her feet. "Actually, I was about to go to your place, but..." She needed not to continue.

I smiled. "I'm glad," I confessed. "It was pretty hard for me not to have anyone to talk to."

Misaki-senpai looked at me again, smiling. "Yeah. Me too."

"Oh yeah." I suddenly remembered I was carrying something. "These are for you," I said, handing her the box I was holding.

Senpai laughed, a little bit hesitant to take it. "You shouldn't have."

I shook my head and insisted. "No, it's okay. Take it." And she did, smiling back at me.

"Thank you, Mikan," she said, inching closer for a hug. "I want you to know that if you ever need someone to talk to about anything – anything at all – you can always come to your senpai."

I hugged her back. It was good to be feeling this kind of comfort again. "I will," I said.

When we finally let go, Senpai turned to the door. "Do you want to come in?" she offered.

"No, it's okay," I said, shaking my head. "I have to make out for the work I missed this week."

Misaki-senpai frowned. "Oh," she paused. "Next time then?"

I nodded and gave her a hug again before I finally turned around and began to walk away.

Suddenly, I paused and turned back at her. "Actually, Misaki-senpai?"

She smiled. "Yeah?"

I let out an exhale. "Can you keep a secret?"

* * *

And that was it. I told her everything. _Everything_.

Misaki-senpai breathed in. "_So_," she started. "You're trying to tell me that what you and Hyuuga-dono have is just _pretend_?" Her brows furrowed. "That you don't _really_ love each other? And that you're just acting as his fiancee because he _told _you?"

I pursed my lips. "Yes," I confessed. "Except..."

Senpai looked around frantically. "Except _what_?"

I bit my lower lip. Maybe I shouldn't have told her this. She looked like she just found out the world was going to end at four o'clock in the afternoon. "Except I'm actually in love with him," I added in a low voice.

She was standing right in front of me now as I sat on the couch. She had her arms crossed against her chest and she looked like she was about to hyperventilate any moment. "You're in love with him," she echoed.

I looked down and nodded.

Misaki-senpai exhaled again. "How come you never told me this?"

"Because I never knew things would get this far!" I explained. "At first I thought it would be a good idea because by doing this, maybe I could land on a much better position or something."

Senpai shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no, no," she said in a low voice. "Hyuuga-dono _feels_ for you – I know that!"

I looked at her with an exasperated expression. "What do you mean?"

Misaki-senpai was calmer now. She sighed and sat beside me. "I know. I see it in his eyes and – and his actions. Wherever you are, he's always there. And when you move, there's always something in his body movement that catches my attention – like he unconsciously inches towards you when you move away!"

I suddenly remembered what happened when we were talking in his office. When I inched away, he almost instantly inched back. I quickly erased my delusional thought right away. "No. He's doing that for the act, see?" I said, wanting to convince myself more than to convince her.

Misaki-senpai shook her head again, this time slowly. "Why don't you try being positive about this?" she suggested. "Why don't you go tell him how you feel about him?"

"No," I said, too fast for her not to notice. "I can't do that. What if he doesn't talk to me again? What if he _fires_ me?"

"No, I don't think he would fire you," she assured. "You're far too valuable to be fired." She winked.

I was beginning to be more frantic by the second. There was one thing I was totally sure of – that confessing to Natsume wasn't a good idea. Of course, I indirectly confessed to him last time, but I told him right away that I did it to convince Aoi of our relationship. So I don't think that counts.

I swallowed and bit my lip again. "And what if he doesn't talk to me?" I repeated.

Misaki-senpai seemed to think about this for a moment. "You didn't know Hyuuga-dono before all of these shenanigans happened," she said.

"What do you mean?" I asked again, confused.

"He was..." she paused, as if in deep thought, "He wasn't really the person you wanted to be with unless you didn't have a choice."

Well, I would _gladly_ be with Natsume if I had the choice. (Pause) I'm just saying.

"Hyuuga-dono was," she paused again, "hardworking and driven, yes, but he wasn't very nice. He fired one person every week! Two if he was in a very, _very_ bad mood."

I frowned. The Natsume I know wasn't like that.

"And he wasn't the type who would talk to anyone unless he urgently needed it," she continued, being sure to be careful about her words in case it offended me.

Well he was _kinda _like that, but...

Misaki-senpai grinned. "Not the Natsume you know, isn't it?"

I shook my head. "No."

Senpai shrugged. "I think you know this already, but you're the only person that calls him Natsume and still lives." She winked.

I shook my head again. "Still no," I insisted.

Misaki-senpai shrugged and looked at me straight in the eye. "Mikan you have to try and tell him how you feel," she insisted. "I can tell that he feels the same way about you. And – and if he doesn't talk to you again then he obviously doesn't realize what he's needing."

I pursed my lips. Right now, I was so confused that I didn't know what to do.

* * *

The sun had set two hours ago and I just arrived back at the Alice Hotel. Misaki-senpai and I had a heartfelt conversation. It wasn't just Natsume who we talked about – we also talked about Tsubasa-senpai and their relationship. Turns out, the first time they met was a long time ago, when one of Misaki-senpai's brothers was confined in the hospital and it just so happened that Tsubasa-senpai was there, too because his mother was a doctor. And so when they saw each other again, everything just... well, they kissed. And that was what Natsume and I saw that night.

I totally changed my mind about Tsubasa-senpai not being the right guy for her. The way Misaki-senpai described her was just so magical I wanted to love and be loved the same way – but that wasn't exactly the reason behind my standing infront of Natsume's hotel room right at this very moment.

I haven't got the chance to check my messages when I was at Misaki-senpai's apartment so I read his message only now.

_Drop by my place when you get back. We need to talk. - N_

I felt my heart pound against my chest, and I wasn't really sure what the reason behind it was. It was whether I felt guilty about not showing up at work today _or_ maybe because of what Senpai said – no, _insisted_ was the right word – earlier.

I knocked at his door thrice and waited for the door to open.

"Hey," I greeted the moment Natsume opened the door.

He turned away leaving the door open for me to come in.

I walked inside and shut the door quietly behind me. "What was it you needed to talk to me about?" I asked formally.

"Well," he said, getting something from his bed rest table. It was a short manila envelope.

"These are the files you need to check for me," he explained, handing it over. "Make sure to give me a report of it ASAP. I need it right away."

"When can I give it to you?" I asked, opening the envelope, scanning the files, but not necessarily reading them.

"Tomorrow, if possible," he answered. "If you actually dropped by the office today, you didn't need to have any work done tonight."

I bowed my head apologetically. "I'm sorry. I went by Misaki-senpai's place and lost track of time, so -"

He rubbed his temples and looked away. "I don't need to know," he snapped. "I wasn't asking."

I frowned. Well, _he _was in a cranky mood. Was it something I said? "Okay," I muttered. "Do you need anything else?"

There was a short moment of silence before he spoke again. "About what you asked me last Tuesday," he said, looking away. "I won't be needing your services as my fiancee anymore after my press conference on Wednesday."

I blinked twice. "Oh," was all I could say. Was he serious?

"You may leave," he then said. Okay. He _was _serious.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Why was he so formal all of a sudden? The last time we talked, he was – well, _talking_.

I turned around and walked towards the door, about to exit Natsume's room when Misaki-senpai's words stopped me. I swallowed. She was right. She was dead right. It was now or never. Whatever happens happens, right? After all, this will probably be my last chance. He said so himself that this thing will be over soon.

I sighed and looked back at him. "I have to tell you something," I confessed, looking at my feet.

He raised an eyebrow. "Something you haven't told me yet?" he said in a mocking tone. Ha-ha. I hated when he did that. I hated when he reminded me of that stupid airplane incident.

I shook my head slowly, focusing. "You see..." I started, my voice trailing.

Natsume crossed his arms and looked at me, now serious again. "What?" he pushed, his voice sounding more impatient.

"I-I..." I stuttered. Should I really be saying this? I mean, what will happen if I do? Chances are he'd probably never speak to me again and neglect me and act like we never knew each other and things would never be the same. I was fine with what he had now. I didn't care if what he felt about me wasn't love. As long as it wasn't hate, I was seriously fine with it.

I pressed my lips together.

Natsume was now glaring at me, obviously annoyed that I was making him wait this long. "Polka-dots, you have ten seconds before I send you out of this room."

I groaned. Oh, what the heck!

"I love you, okay?" I snapped, refusing to look at his face. "There! I said it! And I know I shouldn't be feeling this feeling and that I shouldn't be saying this, but I just can't help it anymore! And – and I don't _know_ why you're acting _stiff_ all of a sudden but – mmpf!"

I was cut off. I was cut off in the most _unexpected_ kind of way. I felt Natsume's hand gently touching my face as he kissed me. I felt his gentle, smooth lips meet mine and felt my heart beat faster and faster. It was moments after when he pulled away.

I looked at him, confused. "What -" And then he kissed me again. It was more forcefully this time. Unconsciously, I kissed him back with the same intensity and want. I didn't really need to deny that I liked what he was doing because I knew you wouldn't believe me.

I closed my eyes tight and felt his hand move from my face to the back of my head, pulling me closer. His other hand snaked its way to the arch of my back as the kiss deepened. I wrapped my hands around his neck and tiptoed so I could reach him easier.

I felt my heart thump louder and louder and I was almost sure that he could hear it. I didn't know what was happening and why he was doing this, but I couldn't bring myself to pull away from him. Maybe Misaki-senpai was right. Maybe Natsume _did_ like me. And I mean _really_ like me.

Suddenly, I felt strong hands on my shoulders, pushing me with so much force towards the opposite direction that it hurt.

I looked at Natsume in confusion. Natsume just pushed me! "What -"

He didn't let me finish again. "Get out," I heard him mutter.

"_What_?" I countered, my tone sounding higher. "Wha – look _you _were the one who kissed _me_!"

"Just get out!" He was shouting now, glaring at me with those ruby eyes.

I shook my head and put my hands on my waist, showing him that I had no plans on getting out without a proper explanation. "Look, if you're mad about what I said, we could just forget about it and -"

"I SAID GET THE FUCK OUT!"

I opened my mouth to protest but my body was suddenly in control. Taking the envelope in my hands I went out of his room and shut the door behind me.

It was then I realized I was shaking and panting with tears running down my eyes. I was not fine with this. I could clearly see in his eyes that he hated me.

It was over. _Everything_ was over. And I had no idea how it ended.

* * *

(Reading the reviews) Okay. If you thought the previous chapter was depressing, take a look at this one. BWAHAHA. I _am_ mean, aren't I? Anyway, please please please don't get mad at me. OTL And and and, about _my_ Aoi, she _was_ once the sweet little girl we all knew and loved, but well, things change – especially if your parents get divorced. You can't blame her, right?

No after-chapter chats, today, sorry. ;) BTW, **follow me on Tumblr as Aminatsu032.**

**Next update: 06/03/11**

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**Loved it? Loathed it? Tell me about it, babe. ;)**

**v**


	16. Alpha

School is already around the corner and I still am not ready to go back to school. (groans) Hahaha. :) I swore to Alex (my friend who pushed me again and again and again to continue writing) that I wouldn't write anymore but when I started writing again, I realized that I felt really, really happy to be a writer and to have such wonderful readers who continue to support me even though I'm not a regular updater. :P LOVE YOU ALL! :*

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Anyway, I want to tell you (again) that I don't own Gakuen Alice or Sophie Kinsella's book. So there. Enjoy! ;)

* * *

**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_I stared at the black TV screen, tears welling up in my eyes. If I had the strength to deny this, I would, but I knew very well what I didn't have. Back then, before all of this happened, I actually thought that...well, that Natsume and I had a chance. That in some way, though we were both in very different worlds, there was a chance for us to be together. But now, I realized how impossible that was and how blind I am. I realized how much you can hurt by thinking too much about things that were never going to happen._

_His words hurt me more than anything. And it hurt me more knowing that the last time we saw each other was possibly the last time we ever see each other again._

_I exhaled slowly and bowed my head praying that if ever there was a possible way that I forget all about this – forget all about Hyuuga Natsume and what he's done to my life – I would grab it without doubt or question. The old Mikan wasn't here anymore... and it was because she fell in love with the wrong person._

_You know, maybe the saying _is _right. Some people were meant to fall in love with each other, but not meant to be together. Except, of course, Natsume didn't fall in love with me._

**XVI. ALPHA**

I awoke from the worst dream I have ever had in my entire life. I dreamed that after all those days and nights of denial, after trying all possible things to keep my feelings away, I finally told Natsume how I felt about him. I finally admitted to him that I loved him with all my heart. For the first time in my life, I felt the kind of magic people felt in the movies. I felt the feeling people wrote stories about – and I felt that when he kissed me.

At that time, during the kiss, all I wanted was for time to stop. All I wished for is me for have a remote control to all of this and with some way I could feel the magic forever – only to find out that the magic never existed. And I realized that the moment I felt his strong hands pushing me away, and the moment I heard his deep voice shouting at me; telling me repeatedly to get out of his sight.

And that, too, is when I realized that it wasn't a dream at all.

I looked at the dim light from outside peeping inside my hotel room. I slowly stood up, shoving the blue-green curtains away as I began to look down and watch the busy streets of Tokyo.

It was early in the morning on a Sunday, but nothing ever changed. There were still lots of people, going to here and there, exchanging glances with each other while talking with somebody on the phone and carrying designer bags in their hands. As I said, they were busy.

I glanced at the digital clock on my bedside table, closing my eyes for a moment. Although I haven't seen my reflection yet, I knew how badly swollen my eyes looked from all the crying I did last night.

Six forty-five, the clock read. I briefly turned my head towards the brown manila envelope Natsume handed over to me last night to work on, but being the professional that I was, I haven't really read one bit of it yet.

I know, I know. He asked me to do it ASAP, but I couldn't. I just couldn't. Well, because everything about that envelope reminded me of what I didn't want to remember.

Suddenly, I wished for that remote control all over again, but not for the same reason. If I _did _have that remote control, I would use it to rewind everything to the day that I accepted that letter from Flame. I shouldn't have been bold. I should have listened to my mother's worried reminders and warnings. If only I could talk to her now... though I knew very well that I couldn't.

I received five missed calls from Misaki-senpai last night along with several text messages asking me over and over if I did it and what happened. I didn't have the courage to answer her now nor tell her that it was never going to work out, so I locked my phone away and every once in a while I would hear it beep inside the drawers.

I sighed and headed to the bathroom. It was going to be a _long _shower.

* * *

It was three hours after that I finally decided to get up and take a walk. There was no freaking use if I sulked all day so better yet enjoy the beautiful day outside.

I sighed and looked up at the sky, my hands dug deep in my pockets. It was now December and winter season was on its way. The shops were decorated with Christmas trees and poinsettias and different Santa Claus figurines. Even though Christmas was still three weeks far from today, people are already starting to window shop – deciding on what to give the love of their lives for Christmas.

_The love of their lives_.

I paused. Ah, HOLY MACARONI. Seriously, must everything be connected to that insensitive, absurd boss of mine?

And why do I even care anyway? He's just a _guy. _I mean there are lots of guys out there that are presidents of famous companies, charming, knows how to paint, smart, has prefect jet-black hair, has those same shade of red in their eyes and...

Wait.

_Never mind._

I can't believe I'm thinking about him like this! After what that guy did last night, I'm not supposed to fantasize about him in any way. Heck, I shouldn't even be thinking of talking to him about what happened!

Except I am. Because deep down in my heart I know that it's what I want. And I want nothing more than to talk this out with him and I want nothing more than an explanation.

Suddenly, my stomach growled. Glancing at my wrist watch I realized it was about an hour after lunch time. I looked at my surroundings. I was no longer in a place full of people. I must have walked and walked without really noticing where I was heading.

I quickly turned around and briskly walked back to the busy part of Tokyo when I caught sight of a familiar alley. I sighed to myself in relief. _Good, there was a shortcut._

The moment I entered the alley, I felt my heart beat faster. Abruptly I stopped, feeling goosebumps behind my neck. I knew this feeling anywhere. I felt it when I touched Takato's hand during the Flame corporal party – it was the feeling I felt whenever I was face to face with danger.

I looked around at my surroundings, staying alert. I could almost swear I was being followed.

I tried breathing slowly. _I gotta get out of here. I gotta...get..._

And then I didn't know what happened. Everything just blacked out.

* * *

I felt strong hands shake my shoulders. "Mikan," a voice called. "Mikan, dear, wake up."

I tried to move, but immediately stopped. It was too painful – my head, my back, my arms. Slowly, I tried to open my eyes, everything blurred. I closed them again tightly feeling my temples throb against my head.

"Natsume?" I murmured unconsciously, opening my eyes again. "Is that you?"

The voice chuckled. "_Natsume_?" he spat. "Of all the people you could think I was, you mention his _name_?"

I closed my eyes again. "What are you -"

_Oh no._

I opened my eyes and used up all the ounce of strength I had to stand up and ran away when I realized that I was tied up to a steel chair. I seethed in anger. I knew that voice – I knew it anywhere.

I shot my head up and glared at those mocking black eyes. "YOU!" I sneered, still struggling. "What do you want from me this time?"

Katsuya Takato laughed and took a few steps backward. "Hey, hey, chill, Lady," he soothed as he raised both his hands in the air in surrender. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I tried to break free again, feeling the painful hard edges of the chain that Takato and his goons used to tie me up against my skin. I had to get out of here. There was no chance I was going to let him call to Natsume again! Not after what happened. Seeing me tied up like this again, looking like a damsel in distress, was so not on my list of ways to see him again.

"Then why are you keeping me here, huh?" I spat. "_All _tied up?"

Takato slowly shook his head and ran his hand through his short brown hair. "Mikan, I just want to talk to you," he assured, smiling.

_Talk._ I mean, would you tie up a person just to talk? If you wanted to talk to your mother, would you knock her unconscious, bring her to an unknown area, tie her up and _talk _to her?For the love of God – he brought me to this horrid place, all tied up, surrounded by ugly-looking thugs because he wanted to TALK TO ME?

I rolled my eyes. "Look, Takato," I started, trying hard (very hard) to sound calm, "if you're trying to lure Natsume again -"

"Oh, God, no!" he interjected, laughing as if what I said was the most absurd thing he could ever imagine someone saying to him. "It's not about Natsume – it's about _you_, silly!"

I scoffed. "_Me_? What about me?"

Takato shrugged and turned away for a moment. "Oh, I don't know. I just want to ask you if you're doing _okay_."

There he was again. Do you abduct a person just to ask them if they were okay? Well, _do you_?

I stopped struggling for a moment to look at him seriously. "I'm _fantastic,_" I said sarcastically. "_Now_, can you let me go?"

He let out his deep laughter again. "Not while you're lying to me, you're not," he replied.

"What do you mean?"

Takato let out a small smile as he approached me slowly, looking at me straight in the eye. I watched him as he crouched down right in front of me, still refusing to break eye contact.

"I can see it in you're eyes," he started in a voice so soothing that if you didn't know him, you'd think he's the good guy. "I saw it when you mentioned Natsume's name."

I involuntarily flinched at the sound of Natsume's name coming out of his mouth. "I don't know what you're talking about," I snapped weakly, hoping and praying that my poker face does not falter.

"See?" Takato says, his expression softening as he reached for my face. "_That_'s what I was talking about."

I watched him smile at me, feeling his rough, calloused hands run through my cheeks. Suddenly, I felt weak. What was this? How did he know all this? Was I really _that _open?

"Wh-what are you getting at?" I said, my voice breaking.

Takato stood up straight and placed both his hands behind him. "I know what you're going through," he said softly. "My family _knows_ how it feels like to be fooled by someone you care about."

I winced; it was his cue to continue.

"The Hyuugas are no good, Mikan." Takato shook his head. "They make you think you can trust them and then when you fall into their trap, there's no way out."

I glared at him. "And how the heck would you know?"

Takato frowned. "Mikan, Natsume's dad killed my father," he almost whispered. "Hyuuga Renji is a _killer_."

That's it – Takato's speaking nonsense. "He's not!" I snapped. "Mr. Hyuuga is a kind man -"

"What makes you think so?" Takato interrupts, raising his voice. "Because he welcomed you into his home?"

I swallowed, feeling goosebumps again. I really should stop agitating him. "How do you know that?"

Takato chuckled darkly. "Because I followed you there," he replied.

And then it all came back to me – the guy I saw below the billboard when I was staring at the Pekachu ad and the man hiding behind a tree when we were unloading things from Natsume's car back at the countryside – they were both Takato!

I opened my mouth, annoyed at what I discovered. "What the heck are you following _me _for, huh? Are you some kind of stalker?" I spat.

Takato laughed again at some joke I failed to get. "Mikan, I was _protecting _you! And when I saw you storm out of Natsume's hotel room, crying, I _knew _I had to do something!"

I groaned. "I don't need your protection, Takato!"

He raised one eyebrow and looked at me. "Really? Because from the looks of it, it's like you're in love with him."

I bit my lower lip and glared at him, refusing to hear more. "Shut up."

"You're not denying," he pointed out making continuous 'tsk' noises.

"I said shut up," I muttered again. Seriously, what is he getting at?

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Takato smile. "Mikan, I can help you get back at him – for hurting you," he convinced. "I could make him feel the same way you felt when he pushed you away. As I said, I want to protect you."

Okay, first off, I wasn't dumb. And in no way would I comply to whatever it is he's trying to propose because I knew very well that Katsuya Takato couldn't be trusted. He betrayed me then, so why couldn't he betray me now?

But no matter how much I tried to push it off, there was still a part of me that wanted to hear more about what he was offering. If Takato _could _make this go all away, then that would be better, right?

I looked away, refusing to look him in the eyes. "How?"

"Leave with me."

I instinctively looked at him again. "_What_?"

Takato shrugged. "You heard me. Leave," he said. "Run away from this mess. That guy's just using you, can't you see? You can leave him! You don't need _him_ to be happy."

I scoffed. I can't freaking believe this. Was I really thinking about his offer?

"Come on, Mikan," Takato pressed. "Trust me."

"How do I know if you're really telling the truth?" I said. And I said it hard and firm. "Last time I checked, you used me to get you revenge!"

I was expecting Takato to persuade me once more, but instead, he nodded. "Very well, if that's what you want, then I'll give you time to think."

I said nothing, dumbfounded at his unexpected approach.

"You really can trust me, Mikan," he assured again.

I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "How do I know?" I repeated the question.

Takato looked at one of his accomplices and nodded once before answering to me. "Because, Mikan," he started slowly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

I frantically looked around, realizing that every one of the guys that Takato had with him were slowly approaching me. "G-get away!" I screamed. "Get away – Takato, what are you gonna do?"

Takato raised both his hands up in surrender. "I'm not gonna do anything," he said, laughing, as he watched his comrades inch closer and closer to me.

It was then I felt a handkerchief press against my nose. It had an odd scent – strong enough to leave your head hazed and heavy.

"You can trust me," I heard him say again, before I drifted into unconsciousness, "because I'm going to set you free."

* * *

I was then awoken by my alarm clock at six in the morning.

I quickly sat up and looked around. I was back in my hotel room! I didn't know how I got back in there, but I did. And I was lying on the bed, but I had the same clothes on.

This was impossible – how the _heck _did I get back in here without being inconspicuous? Was that all a dream? Was I just sleeping this whole time? OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD. How can a dream be so vivid?

I buried my face in my hands. Was this what Takato meant by setting me free?

That's it. I have to tell Natsume – I have to get to the bottom of this. Who knows when Takato decides to take me away again to, well, _talk_?

I stood up, dashing towards the bathroom. The sooner I talked to Natsume, the better.

* * *

_Ting._

"So how was it?" Misaki-senpai's excited questions kept on going on and on and on and on. "What did you tell him? What did he tell you? Are you two together for real now?"

"Shh!" I hushed, looking at her urgently. "No one is supposed to know, right?"

Misaki-senpai nodded slowly and then looked around. "Right. Sorry," she apologized in a low voice.

Probably three people got in the elevator and two people got out – I wasn't really sure. I was too preoccupied with what I had to say to Natsume when I see him again.

Okay, how about, "Sorry I confessed last night, let's forget about it – and, oh, Takato kidnapped me yesterday and told me your father killed _his _father! YAY US!"

Or, "Even though you were the one who kissed me, but you were the one who pushed me away, I forgive you for being bipolar. By the way, Takato wants me to take revenge upon you. Shall we party, then?"

UGH. Okay, forget it. I guess I'll figure out what to say when I get there – if I _do _get there.

Maybe... maybe I was dreaming! Maybe nothing with Takato really happened! After all, it _was _a mystery that I woke up on my bed the next morning, right? _If _I really did have an encounter with Takato, then how the heck did I get back? Assuming it was a dream, maybe _this_ really happened – I went to some restaurant because I got hungry and then I got drunk and then I went back to the hotel.

Except, of course, I didn't drink. Having no hungover proves that.

So what really did happen?

"_So_," Misaki-senpai started again, as she did when she wanted to strike a conversation I didn't really want to talk about. "Did you do it?"

I rolled my eyes. The only way to stop her from asking is to tell her the truth. "Yes," I said simply.

Misaki-senpai yelped in glee. "When?" she pressed further. "Where? Where did you do it?"

"Last night," I answered. "In his room."

Suddenly, two girls inside the elevator started whispering and looking at me with disgusted expressions. Now, why would they -

OH SHIT.

_Please don't tell me they think I did IT with HIM!_

"No it's not what you -" I startled, blushing furiously. "I didn't have -"

The two girls rolled their eyes. "We don't need to hear it," one of them said as they walked out of the fourth floor hand-in-hand.

"Great," I muttered, crossing my arms. "Now they think I hooked up with some guy!"

Misaki-senpai let out a laugh. "Didn't you?"

When the elevator doors opened at the fifth floor, it was our cue to step out.

"I didn't!" I said, almost a little too soon to sound convincing.

Senpai snickered. "_Really_ now?"

I blushed, uncontrollably thinking of the kiss Natsume and I shared the other night.

"I don't want to talk about it," I quickly muttered as I briskly walked away.

Misaki-senpai was about to retort again when Yakako came running towards our direction.

"Sakura-san! Sakura-san!" she called with an excited expression.

I raised my eyebrows at her unexpected greeting. "What's up, Yakako?" I asked.

Yakako jumped in excitement. "Congratulations! You got promoted!" she said embracing me tightly.

I blinked thrice. _Promoted? _"Really?" I said, my eyes widening. "How did you know?" This was turning out good after all! Maybe Boss-guy forgot all about the 'get out' incident and decided to forgive me for what I confessed.

"Mr. Hyuuga asked me to arrange your papers this morning," she informed, still grinning. "Looks like you're going to get an immediate transfer to Sapporo as the branch's CEO!"

I yelped excitedly. I couldn't believe it. _Sapporo? _That's in Hokkaido! I can be closer to Jii-chan and Mom! I can finally be with them again! I -

Wait a minute.

All the happiness inside of me vanished the moment I realized what Natsume was trying to do.

"Mikan?" Misaki-senpai called after noticing the sudden change in my expression. "Hey what's u -"

Before she could finish, I already dashed towards Natsume's office not bothering to knock. He was taking care of paperwork when I got in and didn't even bother to acknowledge my presence.

I shut the door behind me and walked towards his table.

"We need to talk," I said, handing over the manila envelope he asked me to work on last time.

"You heard from Mitsumi, I presume," he said, still not looking up.

"Look, if this is about the other night -"

Natsume then dropped the papers at the table and looked at me in the eye. "I'm promoting you," he said stoically. "Shouldn't you be grateful?"

I pressed my lips together as I glared at him. "_You're getting rid of me_," I said, emphasizing every letter, every syllable and every word for it to get to him.

Natsume sat back against his chair, crossed his arms and smirked humorlessly. "What did you expect?" he asked. "If we were going to have a public break-up, we should at least sell it."

I continued to stare at him, dumbfounded, trying hard to see through his actions...only, I couldn't. Who was this person I was talking to? And why was he speaking like his?

I watched Natsume as he slid his desk drawer open, pulling out a thick white envelope. He stretched his hand to me, handing the envelope over.

I swallowed, trying to sound tough as I spoke. "What's this?" I said, almost inaudibly.

Natsume didn't answer. Instead, he went back to his paperwork, looking busy as he read them.

I slowly opened the envelope with shaking hands. It was full of yellow bills. Yellow ten thousand yen bills, that is. And judging from the thickness of the envelope, I'd say it contained about a hundred of those.

I stared at the money I was holding, refusing to look at Natsume. I knew the answer to my question, but I needed for him to confirm it himself. "Why are you giving me this?" I asked dryly.

"Your salary," he answered.

"What do you mean?" I asked, getting more and more confused at what he was doing. "This is greater than my monthly salary!"

Natsume looked at me again. "When I asked you to do the favor, I said I'd pay you didn't I?" he asked back.

Figures. This thick money-packed envelope was my salary for posing as his girlfriend. Of all the obnoxious, insensitive things that he's done, this was the worst!

I tried hard to control my anger. "Hey, I didn't ask for you to kiss me last night! I just said it because I couldn't hold it in anymo -"

"Now you're through with your business here, you may leave," Natsume interjected, subtle anger rising in his voice.

I shook my head and waved the envelope in front of his face. "Oh, you mean _this?_" I spat, throwing the envelope to the floor. "Go on, then! Take it! But we need to talk!"

Natsume's expression hardened. "I said you got what you needed. Now, get out." I could hear his voice rising now. If this was a normal day, and I was my normal self, I'd stop arguing by now. I'd raise the white flag and this conversation would be over. Only, this wasn't normal. And I wasn't my normal self today, either.

"NATSUME, THIS IS _NOT_ WHAT I NEED!" I yelled, releasing every ounce of disappointment and angst I had in me. "What I _need_ is an explanation!"

Natsume ignored my outburst and continued on again with his paperwork. "You may leave," he repeated.

I couldn't take it anymore. I didn't understand what was going on. Everything was so messed up already and then it just messed up more and more.

I turned around, wiping my tear-filled eyes, and stormed out of the office leaving the white envelope and all the feelings I had for him. This was not Natsume. This was not the person I fell in love with. But whoever this was standing in for him didn't want him back. I knew that when I looked at his eyes earlier – they were cold, hard and lifeless and they looked like they were looking right through me, not at all _at _me.

Forget talking to him about Takato. He wouldn't care anyway.

People were gathered around the president's office. It seemed like they must have heard our little fight. Great. I bet this was what he needed after all – a one way ticket to end our phony relationship.

And I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was around the news later on.

* * *

Okay. I know I said earlier that I wouldn't be surprised to see our break-up being broadcasted all over Japan, but I did. I was surprised at not knowing that Natsume's supposedly-on-Wednesday press conference was moved today and that he was now talking to the media about what happened.

"_Mr. Hyuuga, what can you say about you and your fiancee, Sakura Mikan, after your alleged break-up?"_

I closed my eyes and covered my ears. _I don't want to hear. I don't want to hear._

"_There is nothing else to say," _I still heard Natsume say. _"Some things are left better unexplained."_

No, they didn't. I needed explanation. I needed it _now_.

"_It is said that you promoted her from being your secretary to being the CEO at another Flame branch. Is it true that you did this because she blackmailed you?"_

What? BLACKMAILED? I most certainly _didn't_ blackmail him! Where do reporters get their news from nowadays?

"_It's nothing like that at all," _Natsume answered. _"She qualified for that position herself."_

"_Will we be seeing the two of you together again?"_

There was a short pause after this.

"_No. I don't think so."_

I took my hands away from my ears and quickly reached for the remote. Once I got it in my hand, I pressed the red on/off button and watched the light flicker out from the television. I have heard enough. And it was only now that I realized that it was a bad idea for me to watch that interview.

I stared at the black TV screen, tears welling up in my eyes. If I had the strength to deny this, I would, but I knew very well what I didn't have. Back then, before all of this happened, I actually thought that...well, that Natsume and I had a chance. That in some way, though we were both in very different worlds, there was a chance for us to be together. But now, I realized how impossible that was and how blind I am. I realized how much you can hurt by thinking too much about things that were never going to happen.

His words hurt me more than anything. And it hurt me more knowing that the last time we saw each other was possibly the last time we ever see each other again.

I exhaled slowly and bowed my head praying that if ever there was a possible way that I forget all about this – forget all about Hyuuga Natsume and what he's done to my life – I would grab it without doubt or question. The old Mikan wasn't here anymore... and it was because she fell in love with the wrong person.

You know, maybe the saying is right. Some people were meant to fall in love with each other, but not meant to be together. Except, of course, Natsume didn't fall in love with me.

I sighed, wiped my tears and reached for my phone. I received about ten messages from Misaki-senpai (again) asking me what happened and how I was. Suddenly, I felt bad. I had been sulking over someone who didn't care for me when I should have realized that there are still people who _do. _Aside from her, Yakako left messages, too. And there was also one from Sumire.

_Hey pig what happened? U better go & tell me before I kill you._

I smiled to myself. I'd better go and tell them I was okay. It was unfair for them to get nothing for an answer.

I shuffled through my address book when one new entry piqued my attention.

_Katsuya T._, the name read. Katsuya T.? Does that mean Katsuya Takato?

I frantically looked around. How the heck did Takato's number find its way to my address book? Last time I checked, I didn't hand over my phone to anyone and -

Oh God.

I knew it. That wasn't a dream. Takato taking me and taking me back was _not _a dream.

I immediately pressed the call button, biting my lower lip as I waited for the other end to pick up.

"Ah, Mikan-chan!" I heard his soothing voice greet. "So glad to hear from you again! How is it going?"

I swallowed, tense. "Don't play dumb with me, Takato. I know you added your number here."

I heard Takato laugh from the other line. "Go figure," he said in between chuckles. "I just thought that, in case you needed my assistance, you ought to know how to contact me, right?"

I said nothing. What was this guy up to, seriously?

"Oh no," he said, his voice trailing from glee to sympathy. "One of my colleagues just informed me that Natsume broke it off with you. I'm _so _sorry, Mikan-chan."

I pressed my lips together. "You shouldn't be. I already saw it coming," I said in a soft voice.

"Really, now?" he asked, sounding disappointed. "So you don't need my help after all?"

I knotted my brows together, confused. "How?"

Takato laughed again. "It'd be better if I explained it to you face to face," he said. "How about we meet?"

As I debated to myself, I heard my conscience telling me to refuse him. He already betrayed me once before, what makes me think that he wouldn't do it again?

Maybe – maybe Natsume had a reason for why he was doing all these things. Maybe something happened that I didn't know of?

"I'm waiting, Mikan," Takato said, interrupting my thoughts.

I didn't know what came to me. As much as I wanted to refuse him, there was still a part of me that wanted an end to all of this. And if Takato was the only person who could help me, then so be it.

I composed myself. "Where?"

I didn't know what the deal was with Takato. Or with Natsume. But I _do _know one thing – I take back what I said earlier. I needed to talk to Natsume. Soon.

* * *

Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews about the last chapter. UGGH. I love you all. Srsly, I wanna hug YOU for reading this fanfiction. :D

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[ http: / / aminatsu032 .tumblr .com ]

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**Please make me happy. :3**

**v**


	17. Omega

I don't want to disappoint the readers, so I've updated. Anywayyy, big THANKS to those who made me happy! :D **ChOcOlAtEcOsMoS, archer2929 ** (Srsly, you're asking too much. Lol. I can't update overnight! =)))))**, SakuraElieChan, michiko-naoki, -BlueRaven35-, akadabra-kaching, sapphireangel09, cookiedoughicecream2, YesThatsme, miramisa90212, Mika-chan13, ritsutainaka, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, Sherbear111000, Shoujo Romantica Lover, Kylee-Cat, shouldbestudying, anangelwithnoname **(You do? Hahaha. I love Takato! I love his being cynical. :P Thanks for reviewing!)**, simply-cheeby, OYYES123, NatMi3, Hey, Nancy Haibara, -Tribal Addict- **(I always love reading your reviews. :))) Thanks for reviewing!)**, Hoshina Rima-chan, iLove Toko and Seddie, Anna, AniMehCrAizE, Alexandrya Hale, kuos kinomoto, Carla, alexisb.13, angel514, justanotherfanofyours, Chocolateoverdose, .xXx, chainedheart999, lumiXx, Intertwined Fingers, kuroichibineko, statics777.**

But seriously. I'm a bit surprised that some of you want Mikan and Natsume apart. Hahaha. I don't know after this chapter, maybe you won't. :P

Angst ahead. So if you don't like tear-jerking, heart-ripping drama, don't carry on. :)) You have been warned. XD

Standard disclaimers applied.

* * *

**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_I ran. And whether I ran away from my life or for his, I didn't care. Everybody deserved a chance to live, to love, to__be loved. And for all I know, I may be the only one to give him what he deserved._

_I lunged in forward, pushing him aside. I might have gotten away, too, but it was too late._

_There was a blinding light …_

_Pain …_

_The last thing I heard was the sound of Natsume's voice calling out my name. And I knew it must have been my imagination, but the last the last thing thought I saw was a white Sakura petal stained with red before my eyes._

_Red – the color of blood …_

_The color of _my_ blood._

**VII. OMEGA**

I heard low whispers and murmurs from all around me, but I sort of expected it. From the fight Natsume and I had yesterday to the interview showed last night on TV, who wouldn't choose _me_ as the headline for gossips this morning?

For a change, though, I wasn't here because I was going to work. I was asked to go here because I was asked to take away my things away from his office since it wasn't long now before he sends me away to Sapporo, Okinawa for my promotion. And, of course, because I wanted to talk to him about Takato.

I know. You probably think that I've totally lost my mind because I keep on wanting to 'talk things out' with him even though it's obvious that he doesn't want to. But the thing is, this time, this isn't about _us_. I wasn't really sure what Takato wanted, but it wasn't me. He wanted Natsume within his grasp again, that's why he went through me.

I glided my way through the crowd of people in the lobby and made my way to Natsume's office, avoiding anyone I knew. I didn't really want to hear things like "Are you okay?" or "I'm so sorry for you" or "I'll work out" from random people because one, I wasn't okay; two, I didn't want to admit, but I was sorry for myself, too; and three, no, it won't work out. It simply wont.

With three soft knocks on Natsume's door, I entered, finding him seated on his desk with a dart in his hands.

This was highly unexpected.

"I … uh," I started awkwardly the moment his eyes landed on me. "I came to get my things."

Natsume looked away, saying nothing. I took it as a grant for my statement.

I walked towards my table with a big brown box in my hands, eying Natsume subtly.

He was holding a dart in his hands, like how he held it the first time I saw him again after that plane incident. I remember thinking that he was aiming at me when he was really aiming for the circular dart board behind the door.

Inwardly, I smiled. I know it's kind of stupid for me to react like this when I've sworn to not give a damn about him anymore, but I couldn't help it.

Natsume seemed to notice my glances so he threw the dart into the board and sat behind his desk.

"I assume that you've finally agreed to your transfer," he said. And from the way he said it, I knew he wasn't asking.

"Yes," I said quietly, starting to put my things one by one inside the box prepared for me this morning starting with the paper weight Natsume was playing with the last moment we were, well, 'okay', I guess. "But I have something else to talk to you about," I added.

Natsume's expression turned from barely readable to totally unreadable as I said that. I didn't know why, but Natsume was obviously shutting me off. Somehow, I felt heavy. During the past months I was actually thinking that we were at least friends but, obviously enough, I stood corrected.

"Something about the job, I suppose," he asked, his stance slightly stiffening.

I shook my head hesitantly, afraid that if I said no, he would shut me off again and send me away. "Actually, it's about -"

"I don't need meddle with anything about your personal business," he suddenly cut off before I could finish.

A nerve twitched inside of me. "Hey, look, this is about you, too, so you better listen up here!" I almost yelled in annoyance. Seriously. He was being more and more stubborn by the moment.

"I don't want to hear it," he answered casually, as if nothing was wrong.

I slowly rubbed my temples, trying (seriously trying) to be reasonable with him. Of course. Inevitably, after my outrage the day before and my confession the day _before_ the day before, he'd refuse to talk to me. I totally get that.

Based on what I have observed, there are about four ways a person can react after you confess to them:

1. The positive type. After you confess to them, they will eventually stick closer to you. They would talk to you more often, eat with you, share stories and eventually, you'd come to like them even more. The thing is with these people, you never know what they want. Because one, yes, they _might_ like you back, BUT there's still a chance they just love the attention so much that they're not ready to let go of yours if ever they _do _reject you.

2. The neutral type. Exactly like those kinds of people who stares at you with a blank expression after you tell them the world ends a year from now. They would nod at you, an indication that they heard what you said, and then the next they, they will act like you said nothing. People like these tend to be a lot more complicated than you think because you can never assume how they feel about you. If they like you, they might be doing this because they're afraid to take it to second-grade with you because they are scared of losing what you already have. If they don't, then that means they just don't know how to break it to you.

3. The negative type. These people will push you away and push themselves away from you. It's either they like you, too, but don't know how to respond to you so they silence themselves off _or _they don't like you.

And then there's the last type …

4. The bipolartype. The fourth type is the most confusing of the four, because for a moment, they will show you affection, care, concern and then the next they throw you far, far away to another planet and act like you don't exist. And, I don't think there's a positive side to it, frankly. They act like this because they really, really, really, really detest you. And that one big leap for man kind you did? That confessing thing? When _this_ happens, you can confidently conclude that there is no chance and you have to let go.

And yes, Natsume was exactly like that.

"Natsume," I said slowly. He was clearly afraid I'd bring up the topic about the confessing and the kissing again, "If you think it's about _that_, then you're clearly mista -"

He cast me one final glare, wordlessly telling me that it was the last straw and that he didn't want to hear anything else.

I got up, glaring back at him, equally frustrated.

"_Fine_," I said with so much emphasis and feeling, that I felt I could bend a spoon with just one word.

If that's how he wanted it to be, then so be it! Gosh, I was only concerned about him! And I figured he needed to know about Takato to _warn_ him of what he might be thinking.

But if he wanted it like this, then _fine_.

I took my things with me as I walked out of the door.

So much for talking things out with him.

* * *

I traced my fingers lightly at the glossy, wooden brown table I had on my hotel room. I was leaving this place soon and it saddened me to know that after all the time this room and I spent together, it was all coming down to a goodbye.

I walked back to my bed and practically jumped over it with enough impact for the springs to recoil back at me. I probably bounced a few more times before the bed finally stopped moving, leaving me in thought.

As much as it shocked me, my encounter with Natsume earlier wasn't really as depressing as my previous encounters with him. Maybe I've finally matured from all the drama and tears, although there was still something inside of me tingling in pain when he refused to hear what I was about to say.

Natsume he has always been …

_Complicated._

Yes, that was the word.

If one thing was sure about him, it is that you can never be too sure. Because you can never know what he's thinking.

I closed my eyes and cleared my mind, allowing myself to count slowly to one hundred mentally – something I did when I wanted sleep and I couldn't get one.

But, eventually, I did.

* * *

I opened my eyes. Slowly, at first, only to find my vision blurred from all the hours of sleeping. So I closed my eyes and opened them again. The image before me was clearer and more defined.

I was staring at the sky – the light blue blanket of infinity high above me partially covered by another blanket of white, puffy clouds. The sun was shining so brightly that if I wasn't sheltered under a tree, I would've been blinded by now.

I shifted my sleepy gaze from the clouds to the pink flower-shaped madness above me. I watched the branches sway with the wind that gently kissed my pale skin with its unmistakable warmth.

I closed my eyes again, enjoying lying down on the grassy field of wherever.

I turned my head slightly to the right, inhaling the scent of grass and earth; savoring it slowly as I listen to the birds singing their beautiful melodies.

Why I was here, I didn't know. And frankly, neither did I care.

I stayed like this for a while, unmoving, until I heard a twig snap from about six feet from where I was lying.

My chocolate-colored eyes flapped open in a second, cautious, but I still didn't move to send the idea out to whoever it was disrupting my serene state that I didn't want anything to do with him.

Sadly, though, it seemed like he didn't.

I turned my head, ready to retort and ask the person to leave me in peace when I saw the most beautiful pair of eyes I'd ever seen my whole life. Eventually, all my anger vanished in realization of who the person was.

"Natsume," I murmured so softly, I doubted he heard.

Hyuuga Natsume smirked as he stopped on his tracks, his feet just inches away from my head, looking directly at me. He then shoved both his hands in his pockets as he raised in head to the sky. Only his face was spared from the scorching rays of sunlight, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Beautiful weather we have today," he says, as if trying to sound conversational, but fails. He still had that bored tone to him, no matter what he said.

I say nothing back at him. Mainly because I really didn't know what to say because I now found myself staring at his inhuman beauty.

Yes.

Natsume was perfect.

"Sakura," he said softly.

"Yeah?" I responded automatically, before I realized he wasn't calling me, but was looking at the Sakura Tree sheltering us both.

I pressed my lips together. "Oh. You meant the tree," I said, failing to mask disappointment in my tone.

Natsume closed his eyes for a moment, then turned to look at me again. "No," he corrected, as if amused at my statement, "you've forgotten me."

I quickly sat up, my brows furrowing together as I looked at him. "No, I haven't," I said, taken aback. Of course I haven't. He was Natsume. How could I forget about him? "What are you talking about?"

Natsume smirked again, his ruby orbs meeting my eyes. "How many times does a Cherry Blossom bloom in a year?" he said, diverting the previous topic away.

I frowned. Really now, what was he getting at? He wasn't even making sense!

I crossed my arms at my chest. "It depends on the kind of Cherry Blossom tree you're talking about," I replied, still not having a clue as to what answer he really wanted.

"Sakura," he repeated, this time softer, his eyes looking distant. "_The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and the quick death._"

I let my arms fall down as I studied his expression. His smirk had vanished already, but I wasn't happy about how he looked right now. His eyes were looking at me but not _at _me. They were far away, they were stoic, they were … _empty_.

Slowly, I began to stretch my right hand to reach for him – to fill the gap between the two of us – when the distance suddenly grew wider and wider. No, the ground wasn't splitting into two, but we were quickly drifting apart.

We are about three yards apart from each other now but despite the distance, the Sakura Tree was left unmoved, acting as the dividend between us both.

"Natsume!" I called at the top of my lungs but he couldn't hear me, seeing that he was now turning his back away and preparing to leave.

"Natsume!" I called again, quickly standing up and running towards him, but it was no use. The gap between us didn't even abate no matter how much I've used all my energy to run.

I was beginning to cry now. Hot tears were beginning to from at the corners of both my eyes as I tried desperately to reach him.

But it was no use. Natsume couldn't hear me …

… or so I think he couldn't.

Until he turned away with a small sad smile and mouthed something soundlessly.

He mouthed something like, "You've forgotten about me."

* * *

I awoke that morning, gasping for air, clenching my chest and crying.

I didn't know what the deal was with that dream, but I didn't like it – I didn't like the _feel _of it. Even though I still had no idea what it was about.

Ironically enough, Natsume kept on saying something about me forgetting him, when what was happening in reality was the exact oposite. Because in reality, _he _was the one forgetting about me. _He _was the one pushing me away.

I wiped my tears with the back of my hand breathing in and out slowly to regain composure. The moment I did, I stood up and headed to the bathroom, examining my reflection in the rectangular mirror.

"_You've forgotten about me."_

Natsume's words kept on ringing inside of my head. I pressed my palms against my ears, as if it helped tune out his voice, but his voice ended up amplifying louder and louder.

"No," I whispered, tears beginning to sting my eyes again, "I didn't forget you … _you _forgot _me_."

Slowly, I sank into the bathroom floor. And despite how I tried to keep myself from sobbing, I couldn't help it. The sobs then worsened when I realized that today was the first time I allowed myself to cry like this. It was both depressing and comforting at the same time.

And that was the last I thing remembered about crying. I must have drifted to sleep again minutes after.

* * *

I was in front of Misaki-senpai's apartment, pressing the doorbell and waiting for the door to open.

Misaki-senpai's maroon eyes looked at me in astonishment. Clearly, she wasn't expecting my visit today.

"H-hey, Mikan," she managed, faking excitement in her voice, but failed when one of her brothers ran to her to clutch her leg.

"Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Konan is –"

"Not now, Akito! I have a visitor!" she hushed, exhaustion apparent in her face. Akito frowned, wanting to retort, but fought against it. He then stomped away from his older sister.

"I'm so sorry, Mikan, but today's not really the time –" she began, scratching the back of her head and avoiding my gaze, as if embarrassed that even though she wanted to talk to me and catch up, she couldn't.

"No, it's okay." I smiled. "I wasn't planning on staying long, anyway."

Misaki-senpai frowned. "Are you sure? I'm really so sorry."

I laughed lightly. "Yes, I'm sure," I said, pulling her into an embrace.

I felt her body stiffen at the unexpected action.

"Goodbye then," I whispered, letting her go. "And thank you."

From the corner of my eyes, as I walked away, I saw Misaki-senpai looking at me, confused.

I know what she heard.

What she heard didn't sound like a temporary goodbye – but a permanent one.

.

I stood before the sea, inhaling its scent. Behind me was the warehouse Takato asked me to go to.

After I came home from Misaki-senpai's apartment, I called Takato regarding out meet up, scribbling its address into a piece of paper by my desk and, after the call, repeatedly reading it in my mind and eventually memorizing it.

Takato asked me to meet him up at the pier at midnight. I glanced at my watch. _Eleven fifty._

I took out my phone and dialed a familiar number. It took only a few rings before someone picked up.

"Tokyo police station," a voice said from the other line. Judging from its tone, I can say that it was a woman.

I swallowed. Yes. This was a part of the plan I had formulated inside my head. At twelve hundred, I'd be entering that warehouse with God-knows-what and God-knows-who. Hopefully, I'd be able to stall Takato until the police arrives and locks him away.

I'm not stupid. I know he's up to something. And no matter how hard he convinces me that he's turned good side, I still wasn't going to be convinced.

"Yes … um …" I swallowed again, mentally slapping myself for being nervous. Get it over with, Mikan! You have this plan sorted out! "I'd like to report gangsters by the pier."

"The pier? The Hinode Pier?" the woman from the other line echoed.

"Yes," I replied, this time with more urgency. "Please – they have guns."

"Okay – we'll be right there." And with that, the call ended.

I looked slyly around if anyone was in sight and sighed in relief when there wasn't. I couldn't afford Takato and his goons knowing what I'm up to because they'd most likely go far, far away and there would be no other chance of catching them.

I took one step towards the direction of the warehouse, my heart drumming loudly against my chest.

_This is it, Mikan. It's now or never._

I glanced at my wrist watch again. I was five minutes early, but, surely, Takato wouldn't mind, would he?

I walked slowly to the warehouse, noticing a faint light from the inside.

_They're here_. I think. And my suspicions are proved correct when Takato came towards me, smiling.

"Hello, Mikan," he started, "I'm glad you came."

I nod at him, avoiding his eyes and repeating the plan in my head so that I wouldn't chicken out and run away – which was pretty much what I wanted to do right at this very moment.

"Why don't you sit down?" he suggested, gesturing towards a steel chair inside the warehouse.

"No, thanks," I said, scrunching my nose subtly. The idea of chairs, plus Takato freaks me out. Mainly because during my two previous encounters with him, I've been tied to a chair.

Takato laughed, seeming to get the point.

I studied the place – there ceiling was high up and the windows high up, too, preventing no way of escape except for the door I went through and another door by the other side of the warehouse, possibly designed as a fire exit.

Around us were wooden boxes piled together and I could smell the stench of fishes inside of them. The boxes were to be shipped, I guessed. Possibly before sunrise.

And then there's Takato's gang members. There were about seven of them present. I recognized four of them – the man with maroon hair; the dirty blond; the one with the mustache; and the dark-skinned one with the weird accent. The three of them, I've never seen before. Maybe Takato recruited more after the guy with the pony tail, Yamamoto Akira, was captured by the police during our last encounter.

I subtly glanced at my watch. Ten minutes had passed and the police still wasn't here – I had to stall him longer.

"So …" I started, clearing my throat, "about our deal …"

Takato smirked at me. "Oh, I'll be telling you after we move out," he said.

I suddenly stiffened. "M-move out?" I managed to utter.

Takato shrugged and turned away. "Yes, Mikan." He smirked. "To somewhere safer."

The odds are certainly not with me right now. Takato said we were going to move out – so does that mean he's unto me? Does that mean he heard me when I called the police?

By this time, Takato had signaled his colleagues to prepare to leave the warehouse. I felt my heart beat faster. Oh no. I had to stop him – just a little bit longer –

"Stop!" I almost yelled, causing all eight of them to turn to me.

I breathed in, crossed my arms and put on the bravest expression I could manage. "How do you know I can trust you?" I demanded. "For all I know, you might be luring me into a trap again!"

All of Takato's seven accomplices, turned away and continued with packing and only Takato turned to acknowledge what I said. He shook his head and clicked his tongue repeatedly.

"I'm not luring you to anything, Mikan," he said, as if amused that I thought that he was distrustful. "I told you – I just want to help you."

I stomped my right foot, implying to him that I was going to stay here – here where the police was going to arrive at.

"If you're not luring me to anything, then why can't we stay here?" I asked.

Takato's smirked. "Because, Mikan," he said, inching closer to me, "you told someone about _us_."

I swallowed. How? How the heck did he know? I could have sworn there was nobody – so how could he possibly find out that I called the police?

My expression hardened. "I … didn't call anyone," I denied, deciding to stick with my plan. Maybe if I don't admit that I did, he'd keep on pressing me about it and stall him until the police finally arrives.

"Oh yeah?" Takato says, finding my denial funny. "Well, that's odd because one of my guards says that someone has crossed the perimeter."

I swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said, confused. If that someone was the police, shouldn't they be scrambling away by now?

Takato ignored my last statement, though. And it was a moment after when I turned to the direction he was looking at.

My eyes widened at what I saw.

Someone was standing by the entrance, his face with an unreadable expression. He was staring at me – not at Takato, not at any one else – but me. As if mentally asking me what I was doing here and what I was trying to do.

"Natsume," his name unconsciously slipping out of my lips. I mentally slap myself the moment after when I realize that Takato was looking at me with a bemused expression.

"So you were telling the truth about not calling anyone," he mused.

I stared at him, silencing myself.

I was wrong.

When Takato said I called someone, he didn't mean the police – he meant Natsume! Which means I have time! I have time to stall him longer until they arrive!

I let out the best poker face I could manage as I turned to Natsume.

"What are you doing here?" I said in an emotionless tone. I had to keep Takato believing I was on his side – who knows what he can do to Natsume if he realizes what I'm trying to do.

I saw Natsume breathe in subtly, as if preparing to talk, but ends up saying nothing. His eyes was still on me with that serious expression and I end up staring back, hoping and praying that I don't blow my cover.

"Why are you here, Natsume?" I raise my voice this time, which leaves Takato more entertained, seeing that he crossed his arms at his chest favorably with Natsume scoffing in annoyance.

"I came to get you back," he said, smirking humorlessly. I could see two emotions in his face – Natsume was angry, but at the same time … - I pause to think about it for a moment – Natsume was … was he _scared_?

"You don't need to do that," I said, my voice firm as stone, "you don't need to meddle with anything about my personal business."

Natsume's ruby eyes narrowed at me. There was a sudden twitch of reaction in him, as I quoted what he said earlier, but he continued glaring at me, his face as composed as ever.

He looked towards Takato, but his statement was meant for me. "Is _this _what you've been trying to tell me?"

Takato's midnight blue eyes then look at me dubiously and I quickly rattle my mind to think of an excuse to pull myself off his suspicions.

"More like tried," I say, shaking my head slightly, "but you didn't listen to me."

Relief crossed over me when I see Takato grinning triumphantly again, looking at Natsume.

"I didn't force her, _Hyuuga_," Takato tells him. Natsume looks at me one more time, and then looks at Takato again. "She agreed on this herself."

Natsume looks at me again, expecting an assurance, an affirmation that this was really what I wanted – and an explanation. But I don't give him any. I only look away and avoid his piercing gaze that was now stinging inside of me because I hated lying to him.

_Just a little bit longer, _I think. _It's only a matter of moments before the police arrives. Stall them, Mikan – stall them!_

Takato, seemed to have taken my action as a declaration of my hatred towards Natsume, grabs my left wrist and pulls me towards the other exit.

Fear rushes towards me. _No, no, no! Not yet!_

I open my mouth to give Takato the whole, 'I don't trust you' thing again when I remember that Natsume was here and shut my mouth again. I can't afford giving Natsume a reason to stay – I mean, I was doing this to protect him, so him being here will make things difficult for me. Besides, Takato's goons are all around us and if Natsume does any action of rebellion against them, he'll be outnumbered. Surely, though, after what I said, he'd leave, right? After all, he did say that he didn't want to meddle …

My calculations are then proven wrong when I felt Natsume's hand grab my other wrist.

I look at him, surprised.

There was something about his expression – it was as if he was surprised that he did it, too. But that expression quickly changed to something softer.

"Don't," he whispers to me, his eyes pleading.

It was the first time I saw Natsume like this. Every time I was with him, he always had a brave face. He was always composed and calm and concealing of any kind of vulnerability his enemies could use against him. But now, right at this moment, seeing his face like this, I wanted nothing more to do than to break free from Takato's grasp and run to his arms.

But I knew very well I couldn't do that.

Not yet, anyway.

I press my lips together in a firm line, pulling my wrist from Natsume's hand, but it not loosen from his tight grip. Which causes me to try harder on taking it off.

"Let go, Natsume!" I say, failing when I heard my voice coming out sounding more of a beg than an order. But he doesn't. Natsume keeps holding on.

Why is he still holding on?

"Let go!" I shout at him, tears beginning to sting my eyes. No, I can't. I definitely can't cry in here, but something inside of me is triggering it. Because he was doing it again. He was making me believe that he cared about me again, when I knew he didn't.

And he proved that to me the moment he pushed me away.

"Please, Natsume," I pleaded, my thoughts beginning to drain my energy away. "Please don't give me a reason to want to stay …"

Natsume's fingers tightens as he presses his lips together. Before I knew it, I was already crying.

"Please …" I continue, hiding my face from him and from everyone else present. I hated this. I hated moments of weaknesses, but I couldn't stop my tears from falling down from my eyes.

Natsume ignores my pleading. "Don't leave," he says, so softly that it sounded like an imagination.

I gather up all my courage to look at his eyes. Those red ruby eyes reflecting the very angst I was feeling. "Why not?" I ask, my voice cracking. "And until when, Natsume? Until when will you keep me with you again? Until I grow numb from all the pain? Natsume, I can't wait that long."

I knew very well that I wasn't telling him all this because of my plan anymore. I was telling him this because it's what I wanted to say – no, what I _needed _to say. Because, eventually, he'll ask me to leave. If not now, there will always be the doubt of tomorrow, of the day after, and the day after … everyday, if I stay on living through a life that isn't mine, little by little, I'd die. Gradually, slowly and painfully.

Natsume's grip on me constricts again. He looks down, saying nothing and leaving me unable to see his face.

I try to pull my hand again; slowly this time.

"Please …_ let go_."

I felt his fingers gently move away from my skin and the blood circulates through my hand normally. But a part of me still felt warm from his touch and there was a longing sensation going through me now that his hand is away, but I fight against it.

The less chance he stays, the better. And if this is the only way that I can make him leave, then so be it.

I wipe the tears away from my eyes and manage to look at him in the eye.

"I don't want to see you again." And with that, Takato drags me away, still wearing that triumphant smile.

I don't bother to look back at Natsume for fear that I might want to go back to him, so I don't. I know that if we leave now, the police will miss Takato, but I decide it's okay.

Once I get Takato's trust, I can send him over to the police easily. So I just need to sacrifice this moment for another opportunity. Better, hopefully. One that wouldn't have Natsume stopping me from going.

I obediently follow Takato, until one of his men, the man with the mustache, calls out to him.

"How about him, Sir?" he asks, pointing to Natsume who was still standing where we left him, unmoving. "He can follow us."

Takato stops in his tracks and looks back at Natsume as well. After a moment, he releases my hand and reaches out to his back pocket.

I look at him carefully, about to ask him what he was planning to do when he suddenly points a gun at Natsume.

I gasp and my heart skips a beat. "Wait - !" I yelp before he pushes me away. I then realize I have just instinctively charged towards him, attempting to get the pistol off his hands.

Takato loads the gun, clicks it and points it at Natsume. "He can't follow us if he's dead, can he?" he says, as if happier with his new alternate decision.

It took all the strength I had to get up from the floor because my right arm was throbbing in pain because of the force my body inflicted upon it. But I didn't care. Right now, I didn't care about anything else besides getting that gun off Takato's hands and Natsume's face.

"No – stop!" I forcibly said, my heart pounding louder than it did when I entered the warehouse. This was turning out as a bad idea after all. But even if I did leave with Natsume, we'd still not win. Not when Takato has his allies around.

Takato positions his index finger on the trigger. From what I could see, he was aiming at Natsume's head. I only have seconds before I stop him – but how?

"Takato!" I call out again, going for the gun for the second time, but, this time, it's not Takato's arms pushing me away – it was his minions'. They were dragging me away from Takato.

I wiggled, kicked and punched, but it was no use. Takato was going to kill Natsume, but I couldn't do anything!

"Takato, please!" I shout, too tensioned to cry and too nervous to think. "Please! Put the gun down! He doesn't deserve to die this way!"

I breathe hard, staring at Takato who seemed to be in thought. _Please. God, please!_

The smile on Takato's face slowly fades away as he puts the gun down, unloads it and puts it back where he took it. He faces me, with an almost bewildered expression.

"You're right," he manages to say airily. "He doesn't deserve to die that way."

After almost a minute of holding my breath, I finally breathe in in relief. Good. Takato's changed his mind. We can go. We can leave Natsume in peace –

But then he continued. "Shooting him won't prolong his suffering," he says, putting on that smile again. He looks around his companions. "How do you feel about a good beat-up, huh, boys?"

Slowly, one by one, Takato's men begin to grin. They seemed to like the idea of ganging up on someone, when it was an obvious act of cowardliness and immorality.

I felt all the blood in my face beginning to drain empty. My body was shaking, my heart was pounding – what are they going to do with Natsume now? Torture him until he dies?

"NO! NO – STOP! TAKATO DON'T DO IT PLEASE -"

My thoughts suddenly interrupt me. The police! The police will be here any moment soon – I must stall them!

_Just a little bit longer!_

I started kicking and breaking free again, but both the men behind me held me so tight it was impossible to let go. My right arm was still in pain – too much pain that I fear it might be broken.

I watch as the five of them as they draw out baseball bats and long blocks of wood, all to hurt Natsume with.

A guy I don't recognize start with it first, grinning mischievously as if he waited for this all his life. The others also started beating Natsume in their own way. They were beating him everywhere – this back, his limbs, his arms … and the worst part was, Natsume wasn't fighting back.

Tears began to cloud up my vision once more. He was doing it again – he wasn't fighting back. He was taking a beating for _my _fault!

I desperately looked at Takato, mentally begging him to stop because I found no strength to speak.

Takato looked back at me, his smile disappearing seeing my devastated expression. "What's the matter, Mikan?" he asks, as if confused. He slowly walks towards me and touches my face gently. "I thought this was what you wanted."

I look straight at Takato's eyes and the first thing I see is the sincerity they held. And somehow, I feel guilty about using this as an excuse to imprison him.

From the corner of my eyes, I see Takato's allies stop hitting Natsume hesitantly, as if confused as to what Takato reallywanted.

Frankly, I was, too.

A sob escaped my lips. "Please don't hurt him anymore," I whispered. If it wasn't for the strong arms that were holding me up, I would have already collapsed into the ground.

"Okay," he says quietly, signaling his men to move away. And they do. I was about to thank him when I see him reaching for his gun again.

My eyes widen. Oh, God.

"NO!" I yell, trying to break free again. "DON'T - !"

Takato reloads his gun again and, after a click, points it at Natsume.

I turn my head to Natsume, who was now forcing himself off the ground, trying to stand up. I could see him wincing in pain, but fighting against it.

"Do it," Natsume challenges in a weak, strained voice. "Shoot me. Prove to me you're not a coward."

I look at Natsume in exasperation. "What are you - ?" - I turn at Takato again. - "Takato, no, please, stop! It's not the right thing to do!"

I could see Takato shaking, an unreadable expression plastered upon his face. He was still pointing the gun at Natsume, but it was obvious that he was having conflicting emotions. And I knew what I needed to do.

I look at him, my expression softening. "Takato, I don't know what Natsume's father did, but you can't correct a mistake by making another mistake."

Takato flinches at this, but doesn't take his eyes off his aim.

"Takato, wherever your father is now, he wouldn't want you to be like this," I continued.

Takato flashes his dark eyes at me for a moment and then back to Natsume. "How would you know?" he says, raising his voice. "You weren't there when he died – heck, you didn't even know _how _he died!"

"I know," I admitted, dropping my head, "but I knew your father and he was a kind and forgiving man."

Pain crosses Takato's face as he drops his gun again, but for only a second, and then straightens back his arm.

"Release her," he says, barely audible, to the two of his allies restraining me.

I then felt the two pair of hands let go of me, causing sudden pain on my right arm, but I tried ignoring it. From the corner of my eyes, I see Natsume, taking one step towards me as I flinched, but I smiled faintly at him, assuring him I was okay and he needed not to worry. That is, if he _was _worrying.

I took one step forward, towards Takato, when his dominating voice stops me.

"Get back!" he yells. "Get back, or I'll shoot him!"

I press my lips together, sneaking a glimpse at Natsume, who seemed calmer than ever, despite this current situation. I then wondered if he was devising a plan on his own. Surely, though, he would be. He was Natsume after all.

"Takato," I say his name again as assuring and as soothing as I could manage. "Takato, please put down the gun."

"And then what? And then you'd turn me over to the police?"

I flinched. Yes. Yes, I _was _going to turn him over to the police. But I really had no choice right? He's gone berserk – he doesn't even know what he's doing anymore. And he was threatening to kill an innocent life because of it.

"I won't," I tell him. "I promise I won't."

Still, though, I knew why Takato was doing this. It was because he was lost after the death of his father. Not knowing what to do next, not having anyone by his side … I could understand how he turned out like this. Although, I wasn't really approving of his ways.

Maybe _this _was why he wanted me to come with him … because being with me was like being home. And maybe – maybe I could persuade the police to turn him over to a rehabilitation facility instead.

Takato's hand drops slowly and with a soft thud, the gun is on the ground. I almost flinch at the sound, scared that the force might trigger the gun to fire. Gladly, it didn't.

I flash a faint smile at him. "Now, Takato, I want you to trust me."

Takato swallows, as if still confused, and reaches for my hand, but before we could touch. Something stops him midway. And it took me about three seconds behind to realize what it was.

Around us, Takato's allies started running towards different directions – retrieving things, wearing disguises, before they start running towards the back door. There were sirens from outside, growing louder with each passing second. Only Takato, Natsume and I stayed glued on the spot. Takato looking outside, Natsume looking at me and me looking at Takato.

"This is the police – surrender now or we'll have to use force," I hear a woman's voice, probably the woman I was talking to earlier, shouting through a megaphone.

Takato looks at me wide-eyed. Bewilderment. Surprise. Betrayal.

My heart clenches in pain. Betrayal – Takato trusted me! And all I did was blow up that trust.

He then catches on his feet and runs towards the direction his allies passed through, running for his last taste of freedom.

It was my fault. If I hadn't done this, if I didn't call the police -

A hand grabs my right wrist again, and that's when I realize that I had began running after Takato. I flinch in pain, but Natsume refuses to let go, knowing that if he did, I'd take off.

I swallowed, seeing only one expression in his face … worry. And you wouldn't know how happy I was the moment I saw it.

I smile at him faintly. "I have to go," I say, pulling my hand away.

He pulls it back. "Why? Let him leave," he says in a hard tone.

I shake my head. "No, Natsume," I tell him. "Takato trusted me. And I broke his trust. I have to go after him – I promised."

Natsume seems to debate on it for a short moment, and finally letting me go.

"Only if I come with you," he conditioned. I nod and run after the brown-haired boy that was my childhood friend.

I ran as fast as I could, feeling the cold wind against my face. Snow, I noticed was now beginning to drop from the sky, sending a chill across my spine. I have not felt this much adrenaline come through me before, but I knew I couldn't stop.

I then caught sight of Takato's departing figure, and was about to call him when I heard a car honk from my left. Only it wasn't a car that was honking – it was a ten-wheeler truck. And Takato was just standing there, unmoving, in the middle of the road, waiting for the truck to run him over as if he wanted to commit suicide.

Oh no.

Suicide.

Shit – Takato was going to kill himself!

I ran. And whether I ran away from my life or for his, I didn't care. Everybody deserved a chance to live, to love, tobe loved. And for all I know, I may be the only one to give him what he deserved.

I lunged in forward, pushing him aside. I might have gotten away, too, but it was too late.

There was a blinding light …

Pain …

The last thing I heard was the sound of Natsume's voice calling out my name. And I knew it must have been my imagination, but the last the last thing thought I saw was a white Sakura petal stained with red before my eyes.

Red – the color of blood …

The color of _my_ blood.

* * *

**A/N:** Wo-w. 7 500 plus words. Gosh. This might probably by the longest chapter I've ever written all my life. Hahaha. And that's really a record for me. :P

So there. You may have noticed about the emphasis put the Sakura Tree thing. Hahaha. What Natsume says about the Sakura Tree ("_The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and the quick death._") are reasons why the Sakura Tree is considered as a symbol of morality. And the dream? It's not an ordinary dream – you'll see why. :P Oh come on. You can guess. I don't bite. ;)

Ohhh and last – I'll be posting a oneshot called "Just a Little Bit Longer" when I post the next chapter. It's a side story to Can You Keep A Secret and it's basically Chapter Fifteen written from Natsume's perspective. :))) So there. Review!

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[ http: / / aminatsu032. tumblr. com ]

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**Like? Dislike? Excellent? Needs Improvement? Tell me. ;)**

**v**


	18. Holes

**EDIT (08/13/11):** Confusing chapter. I know, I know.

* * *

I made a twitter account. Don't ask me why. I just did. Because the day I made it, I was being totally random. Like, totally. Follow me? :D (aminatsu032)

And now, as I do for every chapter, I want to give thanks to the readers and reviewers of the last chapter! (cheers!) **CrimsonHazel, Lessthenthreeanime, Sabaku Sousou, GakuenDeath, anangelwithnoname, Mahal na Kita **(Salamat! :D)**, Kuroichibineko, BeHiNd ThY HaZeL OrBs, WindAssassin, Kylee-Cat, cutie is here, keaRy anCe, Greentulip, statics777, Chocolateoverdose, UnRoMaNtIC ReMoTe CoNtRoL, akadabra-kaching, -Tribal Addict-, .xXx, rinoakim, snowwingz, michiko-naoki, A101, Rinchan24, xSapphirexRosesxFanx, RachaelinaRose, Pinkbusiness, SakuraElieChan, keiXseth, TheHRM, Sigourney, **_**Anonymous**_**, AniMehCrAizE, pwenie, gurennokimi, chaninedheart999, BlackCrimsonWings13, Shizun Yuuka, The-Ecstatic-Angel-Yuuki21, SweetKaiariChan.**

Gakuen Alice isn't mine.

* * *

**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

_I try to open my eyes, but pain envelops me again. Ugh, it's this pain again._

"_Sh-she groaned! Did you hear that? She groaned! She's going to wake up!"_

_No, I have to ignore it. I have to see for myself._

_I suddenly feel something sharp and quick on my arm._

_There it is again. That feeling._

"_What did you do? You'll send her back to sleep again! NO! NO – LET GO OF ME!"_

_Numb._

**XVIII. HOLES**

I drummed my fingers against the wooden table, my chin resting on my left palm. Tonight was Christmas Eve, but we were required to stay here and listen to boring lessons all day because _Jin-jin _said so.

Jinno-sensei is the worst teacher you could ever have. He's about in his mid-fifties, with mud-brown hair and eyes. What is peculiar about him is that he always carried a frog with him. Yes. A frog. The slimy green amphibian always sitting on his shoulder.

I shuddered. I'm wasn't really afraid of frogs, but there was something about Jinno-sensei's that sent me away, utterly, utterly disgusted.

"Sakura Mikan!" his big, deep voice called out. I flinched upon hearing my name.

"Y-yes, Jin-Ji – uh, Jinno-sensei?" I stutter, hoping that he took my 'Jin-Jin' nickname as part of the stuttering.

Sensei's mud brown eyes looked at me in discern. "I have been calling you for seven times already and it's only _now _that you notice?"

I swallowed. _Seven? Was I THAT deaf?_

"I'm … ehrr … I'm sorry Jinno-sensei. I was just …" - I paused, thinking of an excuse - "I was just cold, that's all."

That wasn't entirely a lie.

I _was _cold.

And whenever I was cold, my mind had the tendency to wander.

Jin-jin's eyes narrowed. "I'll be seeing you in detention after class," he said through his gritting teeth.

And almost like a cue, the bell rang.

* * *

"I can't believe somebody's stupid enough to doze off during Jin-Jin's class."

My hearing suddenly perked up at the attempted insult.

"Ignore her, Mikan," one of my closest friends, Nonoko, said as she shook her head slowly.

I poked my carrot, scoffing. "As if I'd take Permy's opinion seriously."

"As if you'd take _who's _opinion seriously? _Hmm_?" I heard somebody say behind me. I've been paying enough attention to figure out that it was Sumire, but I didn't really care.

"Permy's – duh. Are you deaf?" I said nonchalantly, pretending not to realize it was Permy herself that I was speaking with.

_Whack!_

I quickly lift my hand to my head in sudden pain.

"WHAT DID YOU HIT ME FOR, STUPID PERMY?" I yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her.

Sumire's right eye twitched in annoyance. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING STUPID YOU UGLY PIG?"

"WELL YOU INSULTED ME FIRST!"

"WELL YOU REACTED, SO THAT MUST MEAN YOU'RE GUILTY!"

_Whack! Whack!_

I lifted my hand again and glared at Nonoko who had her hands on her waist. Sumire did the same, since Nonoko hit her in the head first.

Sumire's best friend, however, (whose name I forgot) started hovering through the cafeteria, looking for a bag of ice.

"If you two don't stop arguing, I swear – like _swear – _to make you eat Anna's cooking," she dared, eying the two of us seriously.

My face twisted in disgust.

Nobody ate Anna's cooking.

Her cooking was …

… _poison._

I mean, _literally._

My eyes flashed at Sumire's olive-green eyes before I held out my hand.

"Truce?" I offered.

Sumire rolled her eyes, but took my hand anyway. "For the rest of the Christmas season," she added.

I nodded as we shook hands, noticing Nonoko's proud endeavor.

"_Finally!_" she sighed, wrapping her arms around us – one at me and one at Sumire.

Sumire quickly took steps backwards, her hands lifted up in surrender.

"Woah, woah, woah – I said for the" - she drew imaginary quotation marks in the air - "_rest of the Christmas season_? Uh – meaning, not, like, _forever_?"

Nonoko withdrew her hands and giggled softly. "I know. I'm just so proud of the both of you! _That's _what I call Christmas spirit!" she said cheerfully.

Permy rolled her eyes again, looking at Nonoko. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

I half smiled. Nonoko wasn't exaggerating. The – I mentally draw imaginary quotation marks in the air, too, for emphasis – _rest of the Christmas season _was an impossible length of time in Sumire-Mikan-ceasefire time.

She then turned to look at me this time. "So as a part of the truce, I'd like to invite you to a Christmas Eve party we have tonight at our house," she said.

I gawked at her. Okay. Forget what I said earlier. This. _This _was impossible.

"_You're_ inviting _me?_" God, this must be an apocalyptic sign – first, she agrees to make peace with me and _now _she's inviting me to one of her overly-exclusive parties?

Sumire scoffed. "Yeah, I know right? I'm surprised at myself too." She then scrunched her nose at the thought. "But seriously, I can totally reconsider if you refuse."

I blinked twice. _Refuse_? If there was one thing I was sure of, it was that whenever Shouda Sumire had a party, _he _was invited.

"No, no! I'll go!" I said, sounding too excited.

By this time, Sumire's best friend had already handed her over a makeshift bag of ice cubes. Sumire took it willingly and placed it lightly on the part of her head where Nonoko hit her.

Sumire shrugged and turned away. "Later at ten. My house. Wear something …" - Sumire's green eyes examined me from head to toe - " … decent."

I grinned widely as Sumire walked out of the cafeteria. Except for the fact that I had to go to after-school lock-up horror, this day was turning into a good day after all.

* * *

When I began to feel light headed, I realized I'd forgotten to breathe.

_Again_.

Now, remind me again why _he_ was here?

Oh. Right.

_He _got sent to detention for skipping class.

_Again_.

"Hey, Takato," I hear one of Takato's detention buddies call out to him. I don't bother to look. I can't. I'm frozen. "Want candy?"

Takato keeps silent for awhile, as if thinking. I can almost imagine him doing this. Staring blankly outside the window, I mean. He does this when he's thinking. "Sure. Hand it over," he says.

I feel like fainting again before something pokes my right arm. Something or some_one_.

I turn slowly to the direction. I know where it's coming from. Believe me. I _know_.

"Want candy?" Takato asks, mimicking the same tone Kaito used.

I stare at him, dumbfounded, as his midnight blue eyes shifts in different directions, as if indecisive on what to look at. After a moment, his eyes shift back to mine and he shrugs.

"No? Okay," he says as he turned away, returning the box of candy to his redhead friend.

_No? _But – but – I didn't say no! I was going to say yes! He was offering me candy! CANDY!

I whack my head mentally, realizing that he must have took my moment of silence as a refusal.

_Stupid, stupid, Mikan._

"Uh … Takato?" I attempt to mutter, looking at my restless fingers.

"Hm?"

I turn back to Takato's direction.

My heart stops. He's looking at me. Like _looking _at me. What do I do? What do I do? What do I SAY?

"What?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

Damn, Mikan. Speak! This is your chance!

"Are you … uh … going to Per – " I stop in mid-sentence, realizing he probably doesn't know my nickname for Sumire. "I mean – "

To my surprise, Takato laughs.

"Permy," he says in between chuckles.

I feel blood rush to my cheeks. "Wh-what?"

Takato composes himself before he looks at me again; a playful smile is shown on his face. "You _really_ call Shouda 'Permy'?"

I allow myself to become absorbed with my intertwined fingers again to keep calm. "I … uh … I don't mean it negatively! It's … uh …" A what, Mikan? Damn it! A WHAT? " … force of habit?" I add sheepishly.

Takato laughs again.

Great. Just great. I bet he thinks I'm a complete whacko now. Way to go, damsel in distress. You've completely scared out your Prince Charming.

His next statement takes me completely by surprise.

"I like you."

My head immediately shoots up and I speak before I can stop myself. "You … do?"

Takato smiles and rests his chin on his palm. "Yes. You're funny."

I look at him seriously for a while, before I finally let out a laugh.

"You think so?" I ask.

Takato nods and smiles. "Sakura Mikan, right?"

I smile back at him. "Yes."

It's official.

Best. Day. _Ever_!

* * *

"Are you _absolutely_ sure I look okay, Mom?"

I watch my mother as she walks towards the sink, washes her hands and wipes them with a clean, white cloth.

"Yes, Dear. You look _fine_," she answers, still wiping her hands dry.

I frown, looking down at my dark brown flowing skirt, beige blouse and brown cardigan. "You didn't even look at me."

Mom raises her head, looking at me with a soft expression. "Dear, you've asked the _same_ question over and over again for the past hour."

I cross my arms on my chest. "I _know_, but a _lot_ can happen in ten seconds! What if my hair suddenly turns into a mess?"

Mom rolls her auburn eyes that mirror mine perfectly. A lot of people say I look like my mother. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But I really don't see the resemblance. I can't see myself _that _old. Well, my mother isn't really old, but … well, you probably know what I mean.

"It won't, Mikan," she says. "Your hair won't turn into a mess in ten seconds unless you whip it back and forth."

I frown and shake my head. Mikan. She called me by my name. It means she's getting annoyed. I better get out of here.

I glance at my gold wrist watch, then back at her. "Okay … I better go now. See you later, Mom," I say, brushing my lips lightly against her right cheek and head to the door even if it was still an hour before the Christmas Eve Party begins.

My mother's voice stops me midway.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what I said earlier – you look lovely, Dear."

I sigh and turn back at her. "Really?"

"Really," my mother assures as she embraces me and kisses my forehead. "Now, take care of yourself, alright?"

I pull away from her embrace and stare right at her eyes. "Alright," I said, smiling.

* * *

The moment I arrive at the Shouda Resident's doorstep with a box of gifts in my hand, I am welcomed by loud, deafening, _booming _music. I think I had to right the doorbell about ten times before Sumire's butler opened the door for me.

This is it! If this goes well, maybe Sumire and I can finally make up. And, who knows? Maybe it's the night Takato and I finally share our first kiss under the mistletoe.

It was all I can do to stop myself from giggling. I seriously had to think my thoughts through before thinking them.

Now, the man was tall and about the same age as Jinno-sensei. He's been at the Shouda family's presence for as long as I can remember and I can't help thinking of how long he'd been working for the family. All I know is, he was a silent man and only said things when it was really necessary.

The butler looks at me stoically from head to toe and something flashes through his face afterward. I don't know – relief? I couldn't really decipher what it was, but I didn't care. I was still feeling giddy. Like giddy-giddy. _Gosh_, come to think of it, it was the first time I attended a teen-age party. I wasn't really part of the 'in' crowd. But since I'm here, I'd better go scratch that from my '900 Things to Do Before I Die' list. My next goal:** ride an airplane.**

Sumire's butler leaves the door wide open and beckons me to come in.

I feel my heart drumming loudly against my chest and goosebumps on my arms and neck. Why am I feeling like this?

I calmed myself and stood straight, practicing my greetings. To Sumire, to Takato and to everyone else present … I wonder how they'll be welcoming me?

But when I arrive at the large hall, decorated with shiny, colorful garlands, mistletoe and liquor-filled tables, I realize how wrong I was to trust Sumire.

The moment I came to view, the DJ stopped the music and everybody stopped what they were doing to turn and look at me.

Wrong.

Everything was wrong.

_I _was wrong.

Apparently, Shouda Sumire's Christmas Parties were not about exchanging gifts and sharing Christmas wishes. They were alchohol-drinking, stripper-clothing, booty-shaking disasters.

In my eyes, at least.

In _their _eyes, _I _was the disaster.

"_What_ is she wearing?" I hear a girl say in the crowd. Sumire's best friend. I remember her name now – Wakako. Usami Wakako.

Almost as if the whole thing was rehearsed, everyone in the crowd followed in.

"Is she some kind of _saint_?"

"Who bought your clothes? Your _grandfather_?"

"What sense of fashion this girl has! Is she from another planet?"

Laughter. Roars of laughter.

_Everyone_ …

I glance at the different faces with my blurry vision. They were laughing. They were laughing at _me_. Some faces recognizable, some I barely know …

Anna, Luna, Takato … even Nonoko was suppressing laughter.

But the crowd, one face stands out.

Sumire's porcelain face grins triumphantly, like this was everything she dreamed of doing.

… _everyone …_

I didn't waste any moment after. In a few second, I was on my feet, running, uncaring about the box that I previously withheld. I must've passed by Sumire's butler on my way, but I didn't care. I didn't care about Nonoko running after me and calling me either.

… _everyone …_

Suddenly, there was a blinding light.

And then, pain.

The last thing I heard was the sound of somebody's voice calling out my name. And I knew it must have been my imagination, but the last the last thing thought I saw was a white Sakura petal stained with red before my eyes.

Red – the color of blood …

The color of _my_ blood.

… _they betrayed me._

* * *

It took all the energy I had left to open my eyes.

What time is it?

How long have I been out?

Ugh … I feel terrible.

Maybe if I close my eyes for a little while …

* * *

Have I fallen asleep again?

God, I think I feel worse.

I open my mouth to call out for assistance, but when everything became two times more painful, I decide against it.

Ugh … I feel so _worn_.

I have to stay awake. I have to …

* * *

I really have to stop drifting off.

But it's so painful.

_Everything _is so painful. It's almost as if I've got bruises in and out of my body.

I … can't move …

_Help …_

* * *

_Help me …_

* * *

_I'm in pain …_

* * *

_Help …_

… _me._

* * *

Pain.

Why am I even still alive?

If I have to go through this every time I attempt to wake up, better yet kill me now.

I groan loudly; the feeling begins to dominate everything else right now.

And then the next moment, something happens – something else different from my previous awakenings where I sleep my pain away.

Every ounce of pain begins to subside.

And then …

… there's nothing.

* * *

I am standing in the middle of a grassy field, feeling the damp air against my skin. Everything was beautiful – the flowers were bright and colorful, the birds sang in perfect harmony, the sun's intensity was enough to give me the warmth that I needed. In the middle of everything was a Sakura Tree. Its leaves were swaying in synchrony, emphasizing its beautiful, dominating appearance.

Everything was …

… _perfect._

I continue examining the meadow when a figure catches my eye. By the trunk of the Sakura Tree, someone was standing. The figure was tall and built. He was looking at me, but I couldn't see his face clearly.

"Beautiful weather we have today," he begins, trying to sound conversational.

I frowned. Actually, he doesn't sound convincing to me. He had a bored tone in his voice that left my brain deadpan for any response.

I stare at him intently. Despite his blurred face he there was something to him that piqued my interest.

Like everything else in this field, _he_ was perfect.

"Sakura," he said softly.

"Yeah?" I responded automatically, mentally slapping myself afterward when I realized what he was actually talking about.

"Oh, you were talking about the tree," I said lamely.

"No," he corrected, as he started to walk towards my direction.

I continue to stare at him.

I know him.

"Sakura."

I've seen him somewhere before.

"Sakura."

_Who …_

"You've forgotten about me."

… _are you?_

"Sakura."

* * *

"SAKURA MIKAN, IF YOU DON'T WAKE UP ANY MOMENT SOON, I SWEAR I WILL BANG THIS VASE ON YOUR HEAD, DO YOU UNDERSTAND? YOU ANNOYING UGLY PIG! WAKEY-WAKEY!"

_Noisy._

"- _ugh, _she won't wake up! It's been _weeks_! -"

Who's that?

"SAKURA MIKAN AT THE COUNT OF THREE!"

Noisy.

"ONE!"

Annoying, screechy voice – I know who that is.

"TWO!"

Somebody make her shut up!

"I SWEAR TO GOD I AM _SERIOUS_ ABOUT BANGING THIS VASE ON YOUR FACE SO WAKE UP!"

Ouch, my head hurts. Did she bang the vase already?

"TWO AND A HALF!"

No, she didn't. My head _really _hurts.

"SA-KU-RA MI-KAN! WAKE UP!"

Somebody make her SHUT. UP!

"Miss, I don't think it's best if you –"

Thank _you_!

"Will you shut it? I know what I'm doing."

Ugh, no you don't! Shut up and get out already!

"MEEEEEEEKAAAANN! WAKE UP! YOUR THREE SECONDS ARE OVEEEEEEERR!"

Noisy. Ouch, my head.

"Miss, if you bang that vase on her head, her concussions will open –"

Concussions? What concussions?

"No, it won't! Don't be silly! MEEEEEEEEEKANNN! WAKE THE HELL UP ALREADY! I'M SERIOUS ABOUT THE VASE!"

Wait a minute – what concussions was this girl talking about?

"Rika, call the nurses and the guards quick!"

_Nurses_?

"Psh! Are you kidding me? Are you expecting her to wake up from those morphine you're giving her? I've been confined once, too! I know what morphine feels like!"

_Morphine_? Isn't that some kind of numbing medicine?

"Miss, waking her up like this can result to brain trauma and –"

_Brain_ trauma? _What_?

"Ma'am, the guards are here."

What are they talking about? Nurses? Morphine? Trauma? Does that mean I'm in the hospital?

"WHAT? NO – LET ME GO! I HAVE TO WAKE THIS IDIOT UP! SHE _HAS _TO WAKE UP!"

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Something's beeping. Is that a machine? Am I really in the hospital?

"Miss, it's time to go. You're disturbing the other patients."

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Something _is _beeping. Oh no, oh no, oh no. What the hell happened? Why am I here?

"MIKAN! MIKAN YOU FREAK! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

I try to open my eyes, but pain envelops me again. Ugh, it's this pain again.

"Sh-she groaned! Did you hear that? She groaned! She's going to wake up!"

No, I have to ignore it. I have to see for myself.

I suddenly feel something sharp and quick on my arm.

There it is again. That feeling.

"What did you do? You'll send her back to sleep again! NO! NO – LET GO OF ME!"

_Numb._

* * *

The next thing I remember about waking up is the white ceiling of my hospital room.

Yes. I've confirmed by the equipment near my bed, the scent of ethyl alcohol in the air and the constant checking of my doctor and nurses every now and then.

"Good morning, Miss Sakura," a middle-aged man – my doctor – says the moment he enters the room for the third time. The first and second time I woke up today was a mess. My mind couldn't think clearly and I almost lose it when I feel panic through my whole body. If the nurses hadn't injected me with those painkillers, I might have yanked my dextrose out and ran out the door.

_Hospitals_. I grunt at the thought. I've always hated them.

"I'm feeling better," I say, watching him as he scribbles something on his note pad, glancing every now and then at my supply of medicine.

My doctor nods slowly, not taking his blue eyes away from his notepad. What was his name again? He introduced himself to me the first time he came in … Nariko? Narimi? Naruko?

After about a minute, my doctor – whatever his name is – looks at me and smiles. "Well, judging from the way you sound and how you look, I'm saying you are. No signs of brain damage, trauma – a few broken ribs, but other than that, you're miraculously fine."

I nod absently, looking outside the window.

"Well she _should _feel better! Jeez, she's been out for almost four weeks!" a familiar voice says.

My eyes shift towards its direction.

Sumire.

Now, what was she doing here again?

"That's one long rest you had there, pig," she continued, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

I roll my eyes. _Noisy._

After I woke up, I found out that I was right about my assumption about the shrieking in my room four days ago. It was stupid Permy trying to wake me up.

"Hey, you can't blame me!" she said, when I reprimanded her. "I didn't fly back here to watch you snooze!"

Wait a minute – _fly_ back here?

"Come to think of it, why are you even here, Permy?" I ask her, giving a half-glare. "_You _were the reason I got in here the first place!"

Sumire raises her dark eyebrows, as if taken aback. "Hey, you can't blame this one on me, honey. For one thing, I never counted for this to happen," she says with a hint of hurt in her tone.

"She's right, Dear. Sumire wasn't any part of this – and you better just relax. You can hurt yourself!" my mother's worried voice says as she walks towards my bed to caress me, as she did every time I wake up.

But I completely ignore her.

I scoff. What, _now_ she's lying to my mother?

"So are you telling me you didn't count on publicly humiliating me? On _Christmas _eve? Gosh, Sumire! I thought we had a truce!" I shoot at her, my voice raising in accusation.

Sumire opens her mouth for a moment to retort back when she closes it again. She looks back at me with obvious confusion. "What the _hell _are you talking about?"

Oh great. She's acting like she doesn't know what I'm talking about.

Somehow, this gets me more annoyed.

"Don't tell me you don't know! You and I had a truce! Nonoko made us do it! And then when I arrived at your party – you – you -" I stop, remembering everybody's faces. Faces looking at me. Faces laughing at me. "You were the reason I ran away and got hit by that truck in the first place!"

Sumire grits her teeth at my statement. "What? I'd never!" she denies.

She _denies_. Why the _heck _is she denying! She's guilty!

I was about to continue with my arguing when my mother's voice stops me.

"Sumire's Christmas party …" she trails off, as if thinking. "Dear, you didn't get run over by a truck then. You slipped and fell!"

I turn to face her almost automatically. "_No_," I correct. "Nonoko was coming after me. I ran – then a truck appeared. And there was a Sakura petal -"

"There can't be a Sakura petal. It's winter," my doctor interjects, as if thinking.

There was a moment of silence between the four of us.

What are they talking about? I didn't slip and fall – I was _hit_!

I watch as my doctor scribbles something again on his notepad with a stern expression. The moment he's finished writing, he sits on one corner of my bed and stares at me in the eyes.

"Mikan," he begins, "what date is it today?"

_Date_? Why the heck is he asking me about dates?

I shake my head. "I … don't know. You said I've been out for weeks – I can't possibly know -"

"Then tell me the last date you remember," he says instead.

I pause and think. The last date I remember was the day of Sumire's party.

"December 24th." I pause again. "2007."

I watch both Sumire and my mother's faces grow pale as they stare at me, dumbfounded. The doctor takes out his notepad again and writes down, his strokes fast and alert.

"Mikan …" my mother begins, breaking the tension, though it's clear that she hated being the one to tell me whatever she's going to say.

Why are they acting like this? They're acting like … like …

_Oh no._ Oh no, please don't tell me …

The doctor finishes for her.

"It's 2011."

* * *

**A/N:** For your information, Mikan met the truck accident somewhere in the first week of December 2010 in this fic's time. (No, it doesn't match present time, sorry.) Mikan woke up about four weeks after, so it's probably January 2-4 of year 2011 when she finds out _that_. Yep. A lot of you guessed it right – she's _kinda _got amnesia. (Groans with all the rest of you) I _know_. Cliché. Just … (pauses) wait, okay? I don't want to disappoint you. :)

So anyway, in replacement for this fic once it's finished, I'll be publishing a Horror/Romance/Supernatural story. :D YAY HORROR! XD

No Natsume goodness yummy-yummy in here today, sorry. :( But you can read "Just a Little Bit Longer"! So many goody-goody! :D :") Hopefully, you'll have a small view on what really goes on in Natsume's mind. If you don't, just wait for the next chapters. He'll _gladly _explain it to you.

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[ http : / / aminatsu032 . tumblr . com ]

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**Your review will surely make my day. :)**

**v  
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	19. Redemption

This chapter is dedicated to **daniruechan012**! X3 I SO LOVE YOU DANIELLE!

Hey wait yo yo chill. Here's the update you've been waiting for!

And here's to the people I love! (Namely, **Annevader,**** pwenie,**** BlueRaven35, ****Crazy****For****Mac-A-Damian****Nutz,**** chainedheart999,**_** Anonymous**_**,**** Fuck****you****bitch,**** .Spazz,**** Claerine, ****Kylee-Cat, ****Lessthenthreeanime,**_** Anonymous,**_** Cookie****Cake****L0v3R, ****A101,**** Tearing****Rain,**** xSapphirexRosesxFanx, ****anangelwithnoname,**** Kuroichibineko,**** -Tribal****Addict-,**** .scarlett-d. ,****michiko-naoki,**** huyutfsakura,**** CelestialEternity,**** Shori****chan****x3,**** LouKeiYee,**** AniMehCrAiZE,**** Smori,**** daniruechan012 ,****moonacre99, ****luna****cherFer,**** The****Burnt****Jewel, ****eira,**** Silvertongue42,**** yqueenyxotaku,**** AnimeLuver748,**** MySecret13,**** archer2929,**** statics777** (I'm so sorry it took this long! T-T)**.**)

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill.

* * *

**Can**** You**** Keep**** A**** Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_I__ cast __a__ subtle __glance__ at __the__ person__ beside__ me.__ They__'__re__ kidding,__ right?__ He __can__'__t__ be__ my__ fiancé__ – _ex-_fiancé.__ What __happened __anyway?__ Maybe __I __should __ask__ him._

"_Natsume …"_

"_You're going to ask me why we broke up, right?"_

_I froze. I knew it. I should have written that '999 Things to Remember In Case I Have Amnesia'. And then 'Don't ever ask your ex why you broke up' would be number one._

**XIX. REDEMPTION**

I'm Sakura Mikan. I'm nineteen years old, but I haven't celebrated my nineteenth birthday yet because I slept through it. That was three days ago. I woke up a day ago, but the last thing I remember was three years ago.

Okay.

I think those are the easiest to believe.

Next.

I just got promoted for CEO at Flame's Sapporo branch, even though I just worked for flame for about six months. I was engaged to Flame's President, we broke up before I met my accident. My accident was because of Takato and _not_Sumire. Because she and I are in semi-good terms.

_Semi-good terms._

GOD, WHAT DIMENSION HAVE I WOKEN UP INTO?

It must be the end of the world. I'm in heaven, right?

If I had a track list to remember in case I have amnesia, I would remind myself to never say never.

"You have retrograde amnesia," the doctor once said after a check-up. I remember my mother's face being drained of blood.

She asks for me, holding my hand tightly. "What does that mean, doc?"

The doctor looks up from his notes and looks at us with an unreadable expression. There is a slight strain in his eyes and he looked like he didn't want to break it to us any longer. "Retrograde amnesia is a form of amnesia resulting from brain injury in which the individual loses memories for the time period just prior to the injury." He turned towards me with an empty smile. "It looks to me, Miss Sakura, that you've bumped your head pretty hard when you've had that accident about three weeks ago."

I said nothing.

I mean, what was I supposed to say? "Oh, doc! It's okay! I can have amnesia all I want, I don't mind!"

I suddenly want to scoff at people who wish to have amnesia and pity those who do. It's like waking up with a hangover. When you know something happened the night before, but you can't remember anything. Like, there's this huge black hole in your mind and no matter how hard you try to draw it away, it's there.

It's not moving.

It's eating you up.

_Whole._

It was shortly after the doctor left when my mother spoke, playing with something in her hands. A bracelet, I think. She does that when she's nervous – playing with stuff, I mean.

"Natsume's coming over later in the evening," she said silently. "I'm going to pick some clothes so I'll have to leave the two of you alone. You're okay with that, right?"

I feel a sudden wave of confusion go through me.

"Who?" I asked dumbly.

Realization struck my mother's face. _Right_. She had just forgotten that her daughter was diagnosed with severe brain damage.

"He's …" she paused for a while, looked at me and looked away again. "You two were kinda engaged."

And that's kinda pretty much what happened the whole day. But then again, who am I to conclude when the day isn't even over yet?

I shuffle in my bed, restlessness taking over. I was supposed to be sleeping, but every time the nurses come to visit my room, I pretend to be asleep so that they won't put me to sleep. I just … feel like I have a lot of catching up to do. (Yeah, like I'm going to catch up being locked inside this confined room.)

I slowly sat up, feeling throbbing in my head. Judging from when the sun had set about an hour ago, it must be evening right? God, I'm so bored.

I look from side to side and concentrate. I don't seem to hear nurses approaching …

I slowly move to the side of my bed, my feet touching the cold tiled floor. So many questions were echoing in my head and I just couldn't just sit here and do nothing! I had to find answers.

Slowly, I stood up when I noticed a dextrose needle taped on my right hand. I sighed and tiptoed to reach for the stout inverted bottle, slightly stumbling in the process. I worked my way to the door and was about a meter out the hallway when I heard somebody clear his throat behind me.

I froze.

_Uh-oh._

I slowly turned around. "Uh … I was …" I suddenly trailed off. In front of me as a boy … he was about my age and about a head taller than me. He had raven black hair and the most amazing pair of eyes I've ever seen.

They were crimson.

But they shined like rubies. Like _glass_ rubies.

Is that even possible?

I suddenly couldn't help but feel that I've seen them before …

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice stone cold and stoic.

I tried to calm myself down and stood up straight. "I … I was permitted to leave the room to -"

He cut me off. "Is that why you don't have anyone with you?"

I opened my mouth to say something back, but he spoke again. "And you're not supposed to be walking around holding _that._" He motioned, pointing on the bottle on my hands. I glanced at it lamely and looked away.

The boy sighed and rubbed his temples lightly. "Get back inside," he said.

A vein twitched in my forehead. _WAIT__A__MINUTE__JUST__WHO__DOES__THIS__GUY__THINK__-_

He seemed to notice that I now had both my hands on my waist and was planning to demand why he was acting so bossy when he opened the door for me. "Just get inside, Mikan," he said softly, sighing as if he was exhausted.

I suddenly felt loud throbbing in my chest. Wha – why is my heart beating so fast?

_Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom._

I mean, he called me by my name. So what? He must know me then.

_Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom._

_But why does it feel like …_

He raised one eyebrow, looking at me suspiciously. "What are you still doing there?"

I nodded slowly and got back inside.

_Ba-boom. Ba-boom. Ba-boom._

_Why does it feel like …_

I suddenly feel a single tear roll down my right eye.

… _it's the first time he's ever called me by my name?_

Suddenly, there is a sharp pain in my head.

_He turned to me. "What are you still doing there?"_

_"What?" I said again._

_"You've got nowhere else to stay," he said emotionlessly._

I gasped.

What was that?

_"You__…__are__letting__me__stay__…__?"_

_Pain._

I screamed.

_"What__do__you__think?"_

_A memory._

And everything became a blur before I suddenly blacked out.

* * *

I slowly draw to consciousness, hearing hushed voices beside me.

"Her vitals seem to be fine." I recognize that voice. The doctor?

"Then what happened to her?" But that one …

"I'm guessing it was a flashback. This normally happens when she encounters something or someone that might trigger her memory," the doctor explained. "It's perfectly normal."

Inwardly, I sighed in relief, but chose not to move or open my eyes yet. I was afraid they'd shut up and refuse to carry on their conversation when they realized I heard them.

"Maybe I shouldn't be around her yet -"

I immediately sat up. "NO!" I shouted quickly. _Too_quickly. The two people by my bedside looked at me in surprise. "I … I mean …" I trailed off, regaining composure. Why the _heck_did I just say that? "Th-the doctor said it was normal right? And … it's a good thing because I will get my memory back."

The raven-haired boy frowned slightly. Natsume. That was his name, right? "Maybe we shouldn't rush things -"

"Now, Miss Sakura, it's good that you're awake," the doctor interjects, completely ignoring Natsume's presence. Natsume didn't seem to like this, given that he just shot a sharp glare at the man beside him. For that, I decided, I'll be ignoring him as well. "What did you remember?"

"It …" I trailed off. "I don't actually remember it clearly … just this sharp pain in my head and …"

I saw the doctor scribble something in his notebook before looking at me and raising an eyebrow. "And?"

"Well, I remember someone. He was letting me stay somewhere. I'm not really sure …"

At the corner of my eyes, I saw Natsume's jaw clench a bit.

The doctor scribbled something again. "And this happened when?"

I felt my cheeks flush. "I was about to go out because I couldn't sleep and he showed up. And the flashback just happened after that."

No, actually, it was right after he called me by my name, I think. And then my heart started beating fast. But there was no way I was gonna tell the doctor that. Not with Natsume around at least.

The doctor smiled after a while. "Hm, okay. You will be under observation for a while," he said, clicking his ball point pen and putting it in his pocket. "In the meantime, stay inside the room, okay?"

I felt blood on my cheeks again. God, I feel like a child. "Y-yes."

"Good. I'll leave you two then." And those were his final words before he exited the room.

Deafening silence was suddenly everywhere.

"Are you sure you're fine?" he asked, breaking the silence.

I was kind of surprised that he spoke. I was kind of thinking we'd sit here quietly until my mother comes back. That is, _if_she comes back. But she said that she would only be away for a while to get clothes, so I'm going to hold on to that little hope.

"Y-yes," I said after a pause.

Natsume nodded once, sat on the sofa on one side of the room by the window and looked outside.

"Natsume …" I murmured.

Almost automatically, the raven-haired boy looked at me with the corner of his eyes.

_Too__bad__he__heard_.

Oh no oh no oh no. ? "Th-that's your name, right?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "Obviously," he said as he looked away again.

A vein twitched again._THIS__MAN__IS__PROBABLY__THE__COLDEST__SNOB__I__HAVE__EVER__-_

"Somebody told you that or did you just remember?" he asked. And I know I must've imagined it but I could've sworn I heard a trace of hope in his tone.

I blinked twice and looked away. "M-my mother," I confessed. I suddenly felt bad that I said that.

"Hn."

Deafening silence. _Again_.

I cast a subtle glance at the person beside me. They're kidding, right? He can't be my fiancé – ex-fiancé. What happened anyway? Maybe I should ask him.

"Natsume …"

"You're going to ask me why we broke up, right?"

I froze. I knew it. I should have written that '999 Things to Remember In Case I Have Amnesia'. And then 'Don't ever ask your ex why you broke up' would be number one.

I saw Natsume smirk for a while, but there was something different about it. Something … bitter.

That's when I decided I didn't want to know anymore.

"I'm going to sleep," I declared, lying down on my bed again with my back facing him.

Silence.

"Sleep well."

* * *

I open my eyes and I am in that grassy field again. Standing still. Unmoving. Not looking around. Yet I knew very well where everything was. Even without turning, I knew that Sakura tree was behind me with its leaves dancing with the wind. I also knew that he was right beside me.

That person.

The person that's been haunting my dreams so often that it almost creeps me out.

I feel him touch my hand and my heart instantly picks up its pace.

"I really shouldn't be very possessive of you," he says, his tone soft and inviting. "But I can't help it."

I wanted to pull my hand back but I couldn't. I couldn't look at him. I didn't know him. But …

"I _really_ have to go - "

He holds my hand tighter.

… why do I feel like …

"Stay."

… I _do_?

* * *

I was awoken by the blinding sun rays from the window. I sighed out loud. It's that dream again. That dream with the blur-faced boy.

I slowly stood up, feeling my head throb, when I suddenly noticed something beside my bed. Or rather … some_one_.

I stared at him in shock.

Natsume was sitting on a steel chair next to my bed, facing my direction. His eyes were closed so I figured he was asleep. His face rested on his palm. Sleeping like that must have been uncomfortable. I wonder if he's been sleeping like that the whole night.

I continued staring at him. He had jet-black hair that resembled a starless midnight sky, a perfect face – and not to mention his body, too – and …

I was suddenly surprised when a pair of ruby-red orbs were staring back at me.

I felt blood rush to my cheeks. Oh no don't tell me -

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to stare?"

I gaped at him. _How_thick-faced can he get? _How_dare he assume I was staring at him by just opening his eyes a moment ago? Didn't it ever cross his mind that maybe I was just glancing and it was the exact moment he opened his eyes and I wasn't really staring and how rude for him to tell that to a girl and I was really staring at him OHMYGOD HE CAUGHT ME STARING AT HIM WHATDOIDOWHATDOIDOWAHTDOIDO!

HEE HOO HEE HOO HEE HOO.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.

I scoffed, but it sounded a little bit forced to me. "I wasn't staring." (Insert cracking voice here.)

I froze.

_MY DIGNITY …_

"I … uh …" I started lamely. Maybe I should apologize.

I opened my mouth so say something when I felt a spoon inside my mouth. I looked at Natsume in surprise.

"Your breakfast," he said simply, shrugging.

He took the spoon and I chewed and swallowed.

"Hey, I was going to say something!" I argued.

Natsume shrugged. "If you're going to apologize, then forget about it."

I blinked twice. "H-how did you know?"

Natsume shugged again as he began to shove another spoonful in my mouth. I was about to dodge it, but Natsume seemed to have expected it, resulting in another bulk of tasteless hospital food in my digestive system.

The moment I was able to swallow, I glared at him sharply. "Am I really that easy to read?"

Natsume raised an eye brow. "No. I actually find you very hard to read."

I rolled my eyes in sarcasm. "Really?"

Somehow, I was annoyed at this. It was so unfair. He was acting like he knew all about me yet …

"Hey."

… I don't know _anything_about him.

"Get ready."

I looked at him in confusion. "Get ready for what?"

"I'll take you somewhere later," he answered.

"But I thought I wasn't allowed to leave this room."

Natsume snickered. "Yeah, as if you're going to remember something while you're locked up in here."

I stayed silent. Frankly, I didn't know what to say.

"Besides," Natsume pointed at my right hand. "they finally decided to take that silly thing off you so you won't have to carry it around anymore."

I looked at where he was pointing at and noticed that I didn't have that dextrose needle on me anymore. Just marks of the tape and a small dot where it used to be.

I looked back at Natsume again.

Okay, maybe he wasn't such a bad person after all.

* * *

I'll break it to you straight. Escaping a hospital wasn't easy. Really. Nurses were walking to and fro from everywhere and once in a while, a doctor would pass by and I would feel so nervous I almost wanted to kneel in front of them and say, "I'M AN ESCAPIST! I'M A REBEL! FORGIVE ME! FORGIVE ME!" and I probably would've really done that if Natsume wasn't beside me guiding me through the antiseptic-scented hallways.

And even while we were at the car, I kept imagining things like the traffic enforcers or some random policeman looking through the window and saying, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?"

Now, I was standing before my supposed 'desk' inside Natsume's office.

My fingers lightly traced the glass. "This … is mine?" I asked, examining the table. Actually it _did_look like my desk. Only I don't remember owning it. My handwriting was everywhere. In the calendar, in the log book, some favorite quotations on post-its.

I looked up to Natsume who was leaning against his own desk looking at me with his arms crossed. He nodded once and I nodded back.

Frankly, none of this was helping. I still kept on expecting that everything about this is a lie. And that sooner or later, a celebrity will come and say, "YOU GOT FOOLED!"

And I really wouldn't be in here if at that time …

_"What are you still doing there?"_

I swear …

_"You've got nowhere else to stay." _

… it was his voice …

"_What__do__you__think_?"

… that I heard inside my head.

I turned to him.

"Natsume, I -"

"IS IT REALLY TRUE?"

I turned towards the direction the voice was coming from. By the door was a girl with maroon eyes and pink hair that grew to her shoulders. She was looking at me wide-eyed like I was some kind of miracle. Behind her was another girl about two inches taller than I was with purple eyes and green hair.

I blinked twice.

The pink-haired girl's eyes suddenly clouded with tears.

"MIKAN!" she yelled as she lunged in to tackle me into a bear-hug.

The green-haired girl, on the other hand, bowed nervously at Natsume first before she joined in.

"How are you? I heard you only woke up recently! We were so worried! I'm so glad you're here!" the pink-haired girl said.

I hugged them back awkwardly.

"I'm sorry but," I started while pulling away. "Who are you?"

The two of them froze.

"I-I-I mean, I'm sorry, I don't remember anything from three years ago so – I didn't mean -"

"I'll leave you three alone for a moment," Natsume said, walking out of the room.

The moment the door closed, I turned to the two of them again. "I … I'm sorry. I didn't mean to forget you guys. I just … well … the doctor said I had amnesia and Natsume's been really helpful - "

The pink-haired girl looked at me with saddened eyes. "We know, Mikan. And we have to talk."

Obviously, we did.

* * *

_Lies._

_Lies._

_Lies._

_Tell me who you are._

_Lies._

_Lies._

_Lies._

_Tell me, Natsume._

_When was the last time …_

Glance.

… _you decided not to lie?_

* * *

"What's up?"

My head perked up upon hearing his voice.

"_Mikan, we want you to know that we'll always be here for you. And that maybe … maybe you shouldn't be with Hyuuga-dono for a while."_

"You've been quiet since we left the office," he said silently as he drove the car back to the hospital.

_The pink-haired girl who introduced herself as Misaki shifted her weight to one side and looked around the room uneasily, as if contemplating on what she was going to say next. "Mikan … you see …"_

Silence.

"Natsume."

"_The reason why the two of you broke up …"_

Natsume raised one eyebrow and looked at me at the corner of his eyes.

"_Hyuuga-dono … he …"_

"Why did we break up?"

That question seemed to take him off guard. He flinched a little, but continued focused on the road.

When he didn't answer, I decided to rephrase the question.

"Natsume, do you love me?"

He stepped on the break just as the traffic light turned red.

He smirked, but it wasn't like the smirks I had previously seen him wear. This time, his smirk was bitter. Strained. But it was masked with an emotion I couldn't really decipher.

"Why do you suddenly ask?"

"… _pushed you away."_

I swallowed. "Nothing – I … just wanted to know."

_A forced laugh. "What?"_

"_Mikan, I don't want you to fall into the same pit again. Mikan … none of it – none of it – was real."_

I turned towards him expectantly.

_Please answer me._

"_The engagement wasn't real."_

Natsume sighed. "Look, I don't think –"

That's when I decided I didn't want to hear.

"Never mind," I said, cutting him off.

My vision was starting to cloud, but I tried hard to blink it away.

I looked away. I didn't want to see how he looked at me with those eyes. Those glass eyes.

"Please take me back."

"_You've got nowhere else to go."_

_You're a stranger._

_I don't …_

A lone teardrop fell from my right eye. I don't even know why I'm crying. I don't understand. I don't know why it's so painful. I don't …

… _know you._

And that's when I realized. The emotion that masked everything that Natsume was mirrored the exact same emotion I felt right at the very moment.

Pain.

_Everything_ was painful.

* * *

**Review.**


	20. Goodbye

Autorun. Destroys a lot of things, that pest.

To all those who reviewed the last chapter. You know who you are. Winks.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice. This fanfiction is also, in a way, based on Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella and I don't own that, too.

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**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

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_We were an odd pair, Natsume and I. So many differences. So many misunderstandings so many fights and tears and yelling._

_As the plane vanished out of my sight, I remembered. I remembered all the reasons why despite the differences between us, I loved him._

_But I knew it was too late. We've already said our goodbyes._

**XX. GOODBYE**

I look into the reflection in the mirror grudgingly. I look absolutely _horrible_. My eyes are all red and puffy, my cheeks are soggy and my face is ghastly pale and – I groan inwardly – my hairline is receding.

…

Oh, I'm _kidding. _My hairline is _not_ receding.

But I _do_ look horrible.

"Oh, dear, you look _horrible_!"

I glare at my mother. "Thanks, Mom," I murmur, as I look back at my reflection.

About a week ago, when Natsume took me back to the hospital, the first thing I did was cry my eyes out. I wouldn't talk to anybody about it or about anything until Per – _Sumire – _whacked me in the head and told me to stop sulking and get it over with.

I glared at her after that. But she _had_ a point. I _had _to stop sulking and get it over with.

But I can't.

I can't get over it.

I don't know why and I can't explain why, but after that last conversation I had with him, I felt absolutely dreadful. It was like a part of me was ripped out. The feeling was even worse than Takato laughing at me at Perm – _Sumire's_ – party.

But the thing is, I remember nothing about him. That small bit of memory I regained at the hospital? That was it. Nothing else. No memory. I was left without a freaking memory from the last three years but the _feelings _are here. And if I did love him then, I don't know why, but can still feel it now. I think.

"Are you ready? The taxi's already waiting," she says, taking my hand in hers. The chocolate eyes I know I also had looks at me as it's owner smiles. "I know you're going through a tough time right now. But it's all going to be okay, Honey. Remember that."

_I seriously doubt it, _I think, but I muster a smile at her anyway.

The two of us stay like this for a while before my mom stands up and takes the last bag out of the hospital room. "I'll see you in a jiffy," she winks and then she disappears.

Shortly after, Sumire's head popps in. "Pig?" she calls, raising one eyebrow.

"Perm?" I say sarcastically.

Sumire rolls her olive eyes and looks at me again. Her expression suddenly turns into disgust. "_God _you look horrible."

I scoff and cross my arms. "So I've been told."

"Well you should really talk to Natsume you know." I flinch at the sound of his name. "He's been calling me about you lately – which is quite annoying actually because he's been asking about _you _and not asking about _me _and all and –" From the corner of my eyes, I see hers narrow. "Mikan, you know you're being unfair."

I snap my head up at her, scoffing. "What?"

This time, Sumire crosses her arms at her chest, too. "You only want to hear one side of the story. You haven't even heard his yet. Can't you just listen to him, _hmm_? I didn't give up on the man of my dreams just for you to let him go that easily, you know."

I stare at her, gaping. How – how can she _say _that? How can she imply that Natsume was the _victim_ here?

"He saved your life," she points out her gaze still penetrating.

"It was _guilt_. He was guilty."

Sumire snorts. "Yeah, right."

I sighs, suddenly feeling tired. This conversation is pointless. "Natsume and I were never real, Sumire. I thought I told you that. He never... he never really loved me."

Sumire groans in frustration as she throws her hands up in the air. "How do _you _know? You don't even _remember_ anything!"

I open my mouth to retort something back at her, but then I close it again.

How do _I _know?

Misaki-senpai told me.

I _told _her.

Natsume doesn't care. He broke off the engagement, for God's sake! _That's_ proof enough. If he _did _love me, he would have told me!

… _Right_?

After a while, Sumire's gaze softens, but she's still frowning deeply at me. I watch as she reaches inside her bag and hands me something. I stare at her quizzically.

"A... phone?"

"It's yours," Sumire says. I open my mouth to say that I didn't want it, but Sumire quickly interrupts. "I don't _care _if you don't want it, Pig. Take it. I trust that you _still _know how to use a phone, yes?"

I press my lips into a thin line. "Sumire -" I start warningly. No. I'm not calling Natsume. Na. Nu-uh. Nada. Zip.

"Just take it!" she almost yells as she shoves the white phone into my hands. She stares at me for a moment, as if thinking, narrows her eyes and then trots out of the room.

I wait until she was out of sight before I stare at the cold, white phone in my hands.

_Sumire's right_, a voice inside me said. _You _are _being unfair. Call him!_

I tighten my grip on the phone.

"_The engagement wasn't real."_

I close my eyes shut, feeling pain inside my chest again.

This is stupid. Senseless and stupid. Stop fooling yourself, Mikan. Get back to reality.

"_He saved your life."_

Stop. _It_.

"_How do _you _know?"_

Stop. Stop. _Stop!_

"_You don't even remember _anything_!"_

_I SAID STOP!_

"_You've got no where else to stay."_

_STOP STOP STOP STOP!_

A piercing, agonizing scream was heard throughout the room. It was deafening. It was _painful_. And only when nurses came running towards my room did I realize that the person who was screaming was me.

* * *

" - can't check out of the hospital yet."

Who's that?

"I know, but if she _did _have a flashback -"

… Mom?

" - can't. She's not stable."

I slowly open my eyes but I close them again when the light in the room blinded me.

_Hey_, I know that ceiling.

"Flashbacks can't be that violent. If she has another episode like that again, I'm a afraid her condition might be worse than I thought."

I blink a couple of times before my eyesight finally adjusts.

"What do you mean, Doctor?"

Doctor? Inwardly, I groan. So I'm _still_ at the hospital?

"If these kinds of flashbacks continue, they might develop into seizures. We have to study her condition further."

Wait a minute – _seizures_?

I quickly sit up and regret it afterward. A searing pain is concentrated in my head and I realize that I am now clutching at my temples and groaning.

"Mikan?" comes my mother's voice. I feel her soothing hand rub circles into my back as she sits beside me in the bed. "Oh no. You shouldn't have done that."

"The pain will go away soon," I recognize the doctor – Narumi's – voice say. "Just try to relax."

"What – what did you mean about seizures?" I ask, breathing heavily. The pain in my head was slowly subsiding now.

I don't see the Dr. Narumi's expression but I can hear the grimness in his voice. "You shouldn't be put under stress, Mikan. It makes your mind and body react violently against it. Normally, amnesia flashbacks bring about headache, but from what I've seen so far, your flashbacks go differently. Last time, you passed out. And this time, you thrashing and screaming to loud that we had to knock you out."

My brows knit in confusion. I was thrashing? I remembered screaming, but... "I didn't have a flashback this time."

The doctor and my mother gape with me, mouths slightly ajar. I swallow and lick my lips at the awkwardness of the situation.

I _think _I shouldn't have said that.

"Well," The doctor is first to recover. "then I think it's worse than I thought was _worse_ than I thought," he says before he sighs and takes out his pen and notepad that he seems to always have around.

He scribbles something into his notepad and looks at me again. "Then I guess I'll see you later now, Mikan," he says before he turns around and leaves the room.

When he is gone, my mom turns to face me again. "Are you feeling better, Mikan?" she asks, worry evident all over her face.

I try to smile encouragingly at her and nod. "Better," I say.

Mom tries to smile back, too, but frankly, I think she looks kind of constipated.

I let out a breath of frustration.

My misery just never ends, does it?

* * *

A week later, I try to imagine living the rest of my life inside the hospital.

Well, it didn't look like I was going to be checked out of the hospital soon, so I couldn't help it. I imagine marrying an old man who couldn't check out of the hospital, too. I imagine helping the nurses run after him into the sunset saying, "Honeeeeeyyyyy! My deaaaaaar munchkins! You have to take your flu shotssss!" Cue slow motion running on the beach scene here.

I also imagine knitting by my room window and laughing at my grand kids as they moan about saying, "Grandma Mikan, you're room is boring!" And I imagine myself laughing and saying, "Oh my sweet grandchild! I had a lot of fun in here since I was young!"

_Exempli grata_: walking to my window, walking back to my bed, walking to the bathroom, walking back to my bed and walking back to my window again. All of which, the doctor made me do after I complained that I needed exercise and they didn't want me going out of the hospital room _at all. _So now, I had to do said pattern over and over again for thirty minutes a day so that my muscles don't wear out.

Oh. Fun.

I'm having a lot of fun.

…

…

…

THIS IS STUPID! I'M HAVING NO FUN AT ALL!

I groan and bury my face into my pillow. People visit me yes, but they all smile at me like _everything's perfect _and asking me how I am and telling me that "oh it isn't _that _bad being here at the hospital!" and "amnesia? That's _fun!" _- heck, even _Permy _is smiling at me and acting all angelic!

The only thing good about this whole set-up is that after the incident, not once have anyone mentioned Natsume to me.

Mentally, I sigh.

Not that it helps anyway.

Every now and then, he still pops into my mind.

Like now.

I sit up again and frown.

This is pointless.

And as much as running into the sunset after my hospital-husband sounds tempting, I need to get out of here.

Determined, I stand up from my bed and walk slowly and silently to the door. I start to reach for the doorknob when I hear muffled voices from outside.

" – she can't know about this, of course."

I draw my hand back and gasp, frantically looking around. _Shit, they're coming closer!_

"I know. I'm worried, though. What if he comes for her?"

The voices are right outside the door now. I hastily jump towards the bed and take a magazine from the side table. I open it at a random page and pretend that I am reading.

After a few moments, the door opens revealing my mother's smiling face.

"Isn't it fun being in the hospital?" she says cheerily. _Too_ cheerily.

I force a smile back at her. "Great!" I say through my teeth.

_I need to get out of here_.

* * *

I make sure that my mother is asleep on her makeshift bed before I get up and tiptoe towards the door. I cast one last apologetic look at her sleeping figure before I quietly open the door and squeeze myself out through the small gap.

_I'm sorry mom. I won't take long, _I say in my mind as I close the door again.

I turn to the hallway before me.

This...

...is...

..._FREEDOM_!

I can't help but grin at my accomplishment. _Finally_! Outside of that damn room! I feel so happy I can kiss the ground!

I look around, making sure that no one was around before I walk towards the staircase. I walk around with no direction for a while before I find a vending machine. I look at it for a moment before my stomach growls.

I groan.

Great. I was awake, in the middle of the night, basking in my freedom and I was hungry.

I started considering getting something from the vending machine when I realized that I had no money with me.

Eventually, I sigh and decide to go back to my room and go to sleep.

Well, it was good while it lasted.

I was two rooms away from the staircase when a force grabs me from behind. Shocked, I begin to scream, but a hand clamps my hand shut.

Oh my God, what now? WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS FREAKING HAPPEN TO ME?

I force the hand away with my left and try to wiggle out of the powerful grip but to no avail. I can feel that I am being dragged into one of the rooms and I hear the door close before my captor finally releases me. I immediately run back to the door to shout for help, when the force tugs me down, causing me to slip and fall.

"What the hell?" I say, looking up at the person before me.

And then I realize who he is.

It was dark, but I could make out the shape of his face and his shaggy hair.

_No way_.

"Ta..._kato_?" I say exasperatedly. "I thought..." my voice falters and I suddenly feel a shiver down my spine, "I thought you were in... _jail_."

Takato laughs. The laugh is familiar, but there is a hint of angst somewhere in there that I just can't make out. "Guess they didn't tell you I escaped, huh?" he says, his eyes twinkling in excitement.

I gulp, my heart hammering loudly in my chest.

Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. I knew it. _Damn_, I knew I shouldn't have left that room!

"I hear you're staying longer than planned," he continues, kneeling down so that we are now face to face. "I was hoping you'd visit me when you've awaken, but you didn't so I grew worried."

"I... I can't help you. I don't know what you're talking about, whatever it is you're talking about. I don't remember -"

He cut me off. "You don't remember saving my life?" And then he adds bitterly, "or betraying me?"

I stiffen. My palms were getting sweating.

_Don't be stressed, don't be stressed, don't be stressed._

And then Takato laughs again. "Mikan, relax," he says, looking at me. "I'm not going to hurt you."

I snorted. "Yeah, right. You tried to kill me!"

Takato's expression suddenly changes. For a moment, it becomes unreadable, but then a prominent frown crosses his features. "I would never try to kill you, Mikan," he said almost indignantly. "I just want to talk to you."

"T-talk to me about what?"

His midnight blue eyes softens. "You saved my life," he says. "I haven't... I haven't thanked you for that yet, so..."

I blink a couple of times before it registers in. I open my mouth and close it again. "I..." _don't know what to say, _I add mentally. "You're a criminal, Takato," I say eventually. "The police are looking for you."

Takato sighs and runs his hand through his hair. "I'll... turn myself in," he says slowly, but the sincerity was evident in his voice, "but, first, you have to hear me out."

I press my lips into a thin line. "About what?" I ask.

"Hyugga Natsume is leaving," he replies.

My heart suddenly skips a beat upon hearing his name. I was tempted to say when, but I quickly dismiss the thought. Instead, I say, "And this concerns me, why?"

"I owe you," Takato says, looking straight into my eyes in the darkness. "And you love him."

My fists unconsciously clench tight as I look away. "Takato -"

"He loves you too," he finishes.

I look at him in shock. Again, I was tempted to say something else. Something like, _really_? but I realize that I've been told this many times before. My answer should be the same. This was no exception. "He doesn't," I deadpan.

"Mikan," Takato's eyes softens again, "after the accident" - Takato looks away at this - "he went to my cell with so much anger and hatred in his eyes. He told me that I was a shameful and pitiful person and deserved to suffer the same kind of pain that you suffered."

I blink back at him, not knowing what to say. Natsume... _went_ to him? He didn't tell me this.

_You never tried to ask_, a voice inside my head counters.

"I know I deserved it too," he continues. "I saw what happened. I saw how you looked after –" Takato purses his lips and looks back at me. "I knew I should have been the one to go through that pain and I'm sorry."

I look at him in astonishment. And before I could think about what to say next, the answer is out of my lips, "I forgive you."

Takato's eyes widen in surprise.

"I... forgive you," I repeat, this time, realizing that I mean it.

And then Takato smiles. Takato smiles a true, genuine smile. "Thank you," he breathes and I know he means it too. After a moment, his expression turns serious again. "I told him to do it. I told him to beat me up and give me what I deserved, but he clenched his fists and said no."

I swallow hard. He said no?

"He said no because," Takato continues, sighing, "because he said your sacrifice would have been in vain. He said that it wouldn't be worth it because it wouldn't have been what you wanted."

I stare at him. I don't know what to say. It... it _wasn't _what I wanted. And... and... I can't believe Natsume -

"He loves you, Mikan."

Suddenly, an image flashes in my mind. It's Natsume. Natsume smiling at me. I don't know if I'm imagining it or remembering it, but I'm suddenly clutching Takato's shoulders desperately. "When?" I ask, my voice equally as desperate. "When is he leaving?"

"His plane leaves at four o'clock in the morning, Mikan," Takato replies, a sense of urgency in his voice. "You can catch him. But you have to leave now."

I drop my hands to my sides. He's leaving. He's leaving in a few hours. I have to see him.

"Thank you, Takato," I say before I stand up and make a run back to my room.

"Mikan, what the -" my mother's startled voice starts as she bolts upright from her sleep. "What are you -"

"Mom, call a cab," I tell her with desperate urgency.

"What?" she gapes at me. "Mikan -"

"Call a _cab_, Mom!" I insist, everything in me pleading. "_Please_!"

My mother stares at me like I'm crazy and I open my mouth to try to convince her, but she raises a hand to stop me. "I trust you, Mikan," she says, her eyes softening. "You know that."

I nod at her, silently urging her to make a call while I go to the bathroom and change out of my hospital robes. When I emerge, my mother is already handing a bundle of money over to me. "The cab's already downstairs, dear," she says as I take the money from her.

I look at her gratefully before I pull her into a hug. "Thanks, Mom. Love you," I say, burying my face on her shoulder.

"Love you too, Sweetie," she replies, letting me go. "Now off you go."

I nod and turn around when she stops me again. "Here," she says as she hands something over to me. It's my phone. I cast her one last grateful look before dashing towards the elevators and out of the lobby, ignoring the confused looks from the nurses all around me,

I have to go. I can make it. I can make it -

"To the airport," I tell the cab driver the moment I opened the cab door.

"Which one?" he asks, his honey eyes looking at me with a glint of cheerfulness. Despite that, all the color drains from my face.

_Shit! I forgot to ask Takato which airport!_

I was about to excuse myself to look for Takato when the blonde cab driver beats me to it. "Get in. I know where you want to go, Miss Mikan," he says.

I stare at him, dumbfounded. "You... know me?"

The cab driver laughs. "I didn't expect you to remember," he says, not really answering my question. "I'm Kokoro Yomi."

I blink back at him. The name was familiar, I noted. It was as if I've heard it before... but I couldn't quite put my finger on where – but that could wait for later.

I get in the car and look at him with pleading eyes. "Let's go, please," I say.

"Yes, Miss," he replies as he starts driving away.

I stare at the phone on my hands for a while before I convince myself to open it. I let out an audible gasp as I saw the notifications.

_63 messages and 24 missed calls._

_Phone memory full._

I swallow hard, opening my messages folder. There were many messages from people I didn't know – probably from the office, telling me to get well soon – but most of the recent messages were from Natsume.

I opened one at random.

_Did you get any of my calls? Mikan, please. I need to talk to you. - N._

My heart suddenly feels like it's been pricked by a thousand needles. I opened another one again.

_Mikan, I'm sorry. Please. Let's talk. -N._

And another one.

_Mikan. I'm at the lobby. If you're ready to talk, I'll be waiting here. -N._

At this moment, tears are now clouding my vision. I can't do this. I can't. I can't feel any more guilt.

But I do. I do. I feel so guilty. I want to see him now. Oh, what have I done?

I open my missed calls archive and press one at random, too.

I almost jump when I hear his voice.

"_Mikan, about what you found out, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out that way. I..." _Natsume's voice trails off and I hear him sigh from the phone. _"...I wanted to tell you myself. But at the right time. I know you're confused right now, but – _BEEP"

"_Mikan, please, let's talk. I'm sorry. Just... just please let me explain myself to you. If you're still not satisfied and you don't want to speak to me again after that, it's okay. But please, hear me out – _BEEP_"_

"_Mikan... Mikan, I – look I -" _he groans. I imagine him running his hand through his hair as he does this. _"Please. Call me – _BEEP."

"_Listen, you are probably the most stubborn woman on the planet, but I want you to know that I don't regret meeting you. I don't regret sitting next to you on that plane, accepting you to the company, choosing you as my fiancee – but if there's anything I regret, it's that I let go of you. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I should have told you..." _I clamped my hand in my mouth, to prevent myself from sobbing. This is too much. Oh no. Oh please. _"... I should have told you how much you meant to me. You are much more than what you think you are, Mikan. I want you to know that. I..." _Tears were now falling endlessly from my eyes. _I'm sorry, Natsume. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. _"_I love you – _BEEP."

"_I heard what happened. I'm sorry. It's my fault. I'm sorry, Mikan – _BEEP_."_

I was crying my eyes out now. This is too much. I shouldn't have – I should have listened. If only – if only -

"You love him, too, don't you, Miss?" the cab driver suddenly asks, looking at me from his rear view mirror.

"Yes," I laugh at the irony, "though I don't remember how or when I started."

"You do," Kokoro Yomi says, smiling slightly. "You never forgot. The heart never forgets, Miss."

I blink and stare at him as I let his words sink in.

_The heart..._

..._never forgets._

"We're here," he says, stopping by the entrance.

I look at him gratefully and give the money to him. "Thank you," I say before I get out of the cab.

I make a run inside the airport, desperately looking around. My eyes follow the schedule just by the entrance.

**4:00 am – United Kingdom**

United Kingdom?

I breathe rapidly, this time, looking at the large digital clock beside it.

**3:45 am**

_Shit_

I run again, pushing through the crowd of people, looking everywhere, looking for him.

I have to find him. I _have _to tell him –

"Natsume!" I shout, hoping that he'd hear me. "Natsume! Where are you!"

My tears are starting to blur my vision again. This is hopeless – but I have to try.

"Natsume!" I shout his name again, earning curious glances from people around me. "Nat -"

I feel a hand on my arm, and I immediately whirl around to look at who it is.

And I see them again.

Those captivating, red, ruby eyes.

"Natsume..." I almost whisper, out of breath.

He looks at me with so many emotions written all over his face – confusion, curiosity, disbelief, relief -

"What are you doing here?" he asks; my heart flutters at the sound of his voice.

"So you were just gonna leave?" I yell at him. "You were just gonna leave without saying goodbye? How – how _could_ you?"

Guilt. "You can't recover while I'm around. I have to," he replies, his voice betraying nothing.

"I'm _fine, _Natsume!" I tell him, desperate. "I feel fine!"

Anger. "No you're not! You're not even supposed to be out of the hospital yet!"

"Well _damn _that hospital, then!" I shoot back at him. I can't believe this. I try to look for him – I try to _see _him again and we end up fighting.

"Mikan -"

"_No," _I deadpan. "I'm _not _going back. Not until I've told you."

"Tell me what?" he challenged, crossing his arms.

I look at him – I mean _really _look at him. His disheveled raven-black hair, his glassy, ruby eyes, his perfect face. This. This is the face of the man I love.

"I love you," I tell him breathlessly. "I love you, Natsume."

I watch as his expression turns to shock, and then he suddenly smiles. "Still?" he asks.

I nod at him. "Always."

I watch him and I think that this moment is perfect and he's here and I'm here and we're finally together – but there's something else in his expression that isn't quite right.

"Natsume?" I ask, my voice laced with worry.

He raises his right hand to my face and I feel his fingers as they brush a stray lock of auburn hair from my face. "I love you, too," he says softly and my heart melts. "I always have."

I smile at him, touching his face. He raises his other hand to mine and I can feel the warmth of his cheek and his palm. He closes his eyes, as if savoring the moment, and I do the same.

Because I already know.

Even if he hasn't said it yet.

_The other expression he was wearing..._

"But you're still leaving, aren't you?" I ask, my voice small. And even if I already know the answer, I still hope that I am wrong.

..._it was regret._

He takes my hand from his face and looks at me in the eyes. "I have to," he says and I can see the pain in his eyes.

I swallow. "Why?"

"Because this is not the right time, Mikan," he replies.

I close my eyes.

It was unfair.

Why is it that with us, it is never the right time?

When I open my eyes again, tears begin to fall. "I will wait, then," I tell him. "I will wait for the right time. I will wait forever if I have to."

Natsume smiles again. It was a sad, melancholic smile. His fingers brush my face again, this time, to wipe my tears away.

"_**Flight 404 to UK, now boarding."**_

I look at him, silently pleading.

_Please. Please don't go._

He then leans forward and kisses the top of my head. "I love you," he murmurs in my hair.

More tears fall down my eyes. "I love you, too," I tell him, my voice warped from crying. "I always will."

We stay like this for a while, before he finally lets go and smiles at me for the last time. I try my best to smile back at him.

This is it.

This is goodbye.

Natsume turns around and walks away and my eyes follow him until the crowd of people swallows him. I stand there, unmoving, unable to stop the tears from flowing.

**3:58 am.**

I look back at the direction Natsume went.

No.

_Please_.

Please not yet!

And then I realize that I am running.

I am running after him.

I am running _towards _him.

_Please don't leave!_

I am pushing people away.

_Please! No!_

"Natsume!" I call, my voice cracking at the end.

But it was too late.

It was _always _too late.

The moment I heard the plane roared to life, I knew that it was.

We were an odd pair, Natsume and I. So many differences. So many misunderstandings so many fights and tears and yelling.

As the plane vanished out of my sight, I remembered. I remembered all the reasons why despite the differences between us, I loved him.

_The heart..._

But I knew it was too late. We've already said our goodbyes.

_...never forgets._

* * *

**A/N: **One more chapter to go and this fanfiction is done for! I'll be grateful for your reviews!


	21. Epilogue: Ultimatum

My last "author's notes" block will the chapter after this so, that's not really the last chapter. _This _one is. Thanks for all the support guys! Questions about the characters/plot/sequel etc. will be posted there.

Blanket disclaimer applied.

* * *

**Can You Keep a Secret?  
**Aminatsu032

* * *

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

Four days.

Five days.

Six days.

Seven days.

Two weeks.

Four weeks.

"_I will wait, then."_

Two months.

Four months.

Eight months.

"_I will wait for the right time."_

Two years.

Three years.

"_I will wait forever if I have to."_

**The Last Chapter**

**ULTIMATUM**

The thing is, about love, is that you never know what lies ahead. You can never tell how or when your story will begin. Or how or when you meet the right person for you. There are times when you may have met him, but you don't realize that he's the one for you, so you just forget that you did... until you meet him again and you inevitably fall in love with him.

Falling in love is easy. It's what's in between that's hard – keeping in love, that is. Time will test you. Circumstances will make you question if you're doing the right thing, but let me tell you something: _true love is never wrong_. No. There's no such thing as wrong love – just right love in the wrong time.

I learned that lesson the hard way. _If _I'd met him before he was the company's president; _if _us being together didn't have to be pretend; _if _I told him I loved him sooner; and _if _he told me he loved me, too.

If, if, if – different scenarios; different events. Different times; different places. But the thing is with "ifs" is that it's either they haven't happened, or they never will.

I don't regret meeting him on that plane – even if it _is _the single most humiliating experience of my life – and I don't regret that I fell in love with him. What I _do _regret is that I had to let him go.

Okay, so maybe I don't actually regret letting him go. Because to find out if he's the one for you, you have to wait and see if he comes back...

… and stays.

* * *

I'm Mikan Sakura, twenty-two years old, and today is the best day of my life.

I feel like I've just won the lottery. I woke up to the chirping of the birds this morning and the smell of bacon and coffee from downstairs. For the first time in a long time, the headline on the morning paper wasn't about suicides, robbery or economic crisis. It was actually about a guy who married a llama! And when you see that wide smile plastered in his face, or that twinkle in his eyes, you cannot _not _be happy for him.

So now I sit behind my office desk as a flame CEO and read and sign paperwork that is half the amount I usually read and sign, I feel like I'm on the top of the world! My best employee from the marketing department – Lisa – is out with her job striking a deal with a new company, Flame has been doing great with Tsubasa-senpai taking care of the main branch in Tokyo, Ruka-pyon in Kyoto, Hotaru-chan in Osaka, yours truly in Sapporo and all the other CEO's in the other branches that I have no names of, (I've seen them in the semi-annual company meetings, and smile and nod at them from time to time, but I still have no names for them... now that I think about it, I feel like I've betrayed them or something by not knowing what their names are. Oh well.) the weather is _a_-ok, the air conditioner is _finally _working... what could _possibly _go wrong?

"MISS MIKAN, EMERGENCY! THE DEAL WITH XERO COMPANY WAS DENIED!"

I stare at my secretary – who barged in at my office without _any _knock or warning whatsoever, mind you, that I _could've _died of a heart attack in surprise – and my smile slowly fades from my face.

I just _had _to ask what could go wrong, didn't I?

"What?" I manage to choke out.

My secretary, Erika, is still taking deep breaths and I can see that she's trying not to hyperventilate. "Lisa she – It was an accident! She accidentally tipped her drink at the company representative and -"

"Oh, it couldn't have been _that _bad! It was just an accident -"

"It went _down _his _pants."_

I paled.

Shit. Oh, shit.

Of all the stupid things -

"Nothing?" I squeak out, looking at Erika's pale blue eyes in absolute horror. "There's _nothing_ we can do?"

Erika pursed her lips with an apologetic look in her face. "Well, Xero's representative asked if he could talk to the CEO, but -"

I immediately glanced at my watch. 11:34 am. How many hours does it take to fly to Tokyo again?

"Book me a flight," I said, taking out my phone and canceling all my appointments for today. "_Now_."

"But Miss, you won't make it in time -"

"I can!" I said giving her a serious and urgent look. "Tell the representative to wait for an hour or so and I'll be there!"

"On such short notice? All the planes will be booked already -"

"I could sit on the baggage area for all I care! Now book. Me. A. _Flight_!"

I saw the look of horror in Erika's face after the my last statement and the next moment, she's pressing the keys on her phone urgently as if her life depended on it. I grab my bag and walk out of my office to the elevator and see the horrified looks on the faces of the people I passed by.

Aside from a few nervous "Good morning"s, nobody dared to talk to me. I can, then, confidently say that a warning is pasted on my face right at that moment:

**WARNING: Boss on rampage. Talk at your own risk.**

A few moments later, Erika's by my side again as she talked to someone on her cellphone.

"He said that one of the passengers forfeited his slot, Miss," Erika said the moment her call ended. "The plane leaves in twenty minutes and -"

"Then I can make it!" I told her before the elevator doors opened and I dashed outside and got a cab.

"Where to, Miss?" the cab driver asked politely, looking at me through the rear-view mirror.

"The airport," I answered, and after a moment of pause, "and step on it!"

* * *

I hate riding on air planes.

That, my friend, is a known fact.

After my first plane-riding incident three years ago (a.k.a. The Case of the Sleeping Pilot), I've hated flying. It's not like I have trauma when I get inside planes and I forget to breathe and die or something like that, but whenever I _was _in one, I almost want to hyperventilate.

No, scratch that.

I _really _want to hyperventilate.

Only, I can't because I have a person to talk to and apologize to and put things together with.

_Damn_ it, Lisa! Couldn't you have tipped your drink down his throat and _not _his pants?

I felt like my heart stopped beating for a second when the plane started to rise.

_Just count, Mikan_, I thought. _You can do it! You can do this!_

I vaguely heard the flight attendants as they did a demonstration on what to do when the plane suddenly falls out of the sky because I tried hard to calm myself.

_One thousand one. Two thousand one. Three thousand one. Four thousand one -_

"My dear, is this your first time riding a plane?" the person beside me – an old woman who looked _very _out of place in the business class section – asked, putting a gentle hand above mine. I suddenly noticed how tight I was holding on to my seat.

"No," I told her, putting on a brave face. "Just... kinda nervous that's all."

The old woman laughed lightly; her shoulders rising and falling as she did so. "Oh, aren't we all?"

_Not really_, I replied mentally, remembering the person beside me the first time I rode a plane.

A familiar ache blossomed in my chest.

Ever since Natsume's departure three years ago, my flashbacks grew to be more frequent. The doctor suggested that continuing my work could be a part of my recovery so I came and took my position of CEO at Flame's Sapporo branch. I had help, but I found out that I still knew how to do things like checking accounts, computing debits and credits even if I don't remember how I knew. It was odd at first, but I got used to it.

Now, I think a huge chunk of my memory have returned, although I don't know for sure if I already have them _all _back since I don't actually remember what I'm _supposed _to remember at the first place. The only way to find out if I remember something is when someone asks me about something and I answer correctly. Or when someone shows me an object that's related to me somehow and I tell him or her what it is and what it's for.

I pushed the thoughts of a certain raven-haired person out of my mind.

First thing's first – I had to deal with this Xero Company problem before I worried about anything else.

_Five hundred one thousand one, five hundred two thousand one, five hundred three thousand one, five hundred four thousand one - _

Suddenly, I felt shaking. I could've brushed the thought that it was the plane that was shaking and we were all going to die out of my mind if I hadn't heard the frantic screaming from around me.

My eyes widened.

_NOT AGAIN!_

I breathe in and out, in and out, in and out, in and out, faster, and faster, and faster, and faster -

"Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with you -"

HOLY MOLLY SOMEBODY'S PRAYING – WE'RE GONNA DIE! I SHOULD PRAY TOO!

_Oh God please let this be not my last day – please, I promise to be good and not lie to my mother about her goldfish -_

"We're hitting an unexpected turbulence, Folks! Please put on your seat belts and _remain calm_."

- _but if I should die today and there's nothing I can do about it, then let me say I'm sorry for my sins -_

"What's going to happen to us now?"

- _and that I am thankful for everything you've done to me and I'm thankful for my life and all the food I've eaten because food is important and life is important and -_

"Miss, are you okay?"

_- please protect my family and my Jii-chan and his arthritis – no I don't mean protect his arthritis. I meant protect HIM from HIS arthritis -_

"Miss?"

_- and please protect my friends and my family – wait I think I already said that – and thank you for the blessings and I'm sorry if I don't talk to you often and -_

"Miss, it's okay..."

_- know that I'm really, really sorry for being a bad child and please protect me from eternal damnation -_

"Miss, it's okay. The plane has landed. You can relax now."

- _and – wait a minute. God, is that you? Are you talking to me now? Does this mean I'm dead?_

"No, Miss. I'm not God and you're not dead. You can relax now."

I blinked many times before the last sentence fully registered in my brain.

What...

… _happened_?

I squinted my eyes to look at the flight attendant beside me clearly.

"Not... dead?" I echoed, my voice small.

The flight attendant nodded gently. "Now please relax, Miss. You're freaking out the passengers."

I looked around slowly, and true to her word, everyone was looking at me with wide eyes and raised eyebrows.

Suddenly, I wished I _was _dead.

"What happened?" I asked between my teeth the moment the flight attendant was out of earshot.

"You were praying!" the old woman answered enthusiastically.

I was saying all those things _out loud_? OH NO. OOOOOOOOOOH NO. NOT _AGAIN_!

"It was sweet actually – what you said about your grandfather. I wish my grandchildren also pray for my arthritis to go away, though -"

I didn't hear hear finish, because I was out of the plane before anyone could count to one.

* * *

Mortification.

Gnawing, solid mortification was all that I felt when I arrived at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Xero's representative. I also barely had time to fix myself from the _second _most traumatic experience of my life.

That's it.

I'm riding a ship to get home.

I combed my fingers through my hair and looked at my reflection at the glass door before I pushed it open.

"Do you have a reservation, Miss?" the waiter nearest to me asked with a polite smile on his face.

That's when I realized that I forgot to ask Erika what the name of Xero's representative was.

_Damn._

I gave him an equally polite smile and hoped that my answer would suffice. "Hello. I'm Sakura Mikan from Flame's Sapporo branch? I take it someone's expecting me?"

Relief washed all over me when he nodded and led the way. I made a mental note of remembering everyone's names after that.

The waiter led me to a private table separated by dividers that must've cost fortunes. I silently hoped I wasn't going to be the one paying for this table...

"He will be here in a moment," the waiter said before excusing himself.

I went through every excuse I could and every point I wanted to make while I waited. First off, Lisa's mistake was a mistake and it didn't necessarily reflect the company as a whole and whether Xero would like to admit it or not, it _needs _Flame as back-up because it's still new and -

I immediately froze when I realized that someone is already taking his seat at the other side of the table. When did _he _come in? And why didn't I hear him?

I immediately stood up and bowed low. "Good afternoon," I said in the politest tone I could muster.

"Likewise," he said in a flat tone.

I slowly straightened up to look at the person before me.

My eyes slowly widened.

Ruby eyes stared back at me.

I see him.

I see him for the first time in three years and -

"YOU _BASTARD_!"

Natsume blinked in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH TROUBLE I'VE BEEN THROUGH TO TALK TO XERO'S REPRESENTATIVE? I HAD TO RIDE A _PLANE_!"

Okay so maybe I'm not seeing through this at all. I should be kissing his feet right now and telling him how much I've missed him, but all I could think about was how frustrated I was and how I should start venting all of my frustration because I was so damn frustrated.

I put my hands on my hips and stared down at him. "So what are you doing here?" I ask him in an even tone.

Natsume raised an eyebrow and studied me for a long time. I stared back at him. He looked older, somehow, but I know that it's still him – the same disheveled raven-black hair, the same glassy ruby eyes and the same nonchalant expression plastered upon his face.

"I took care of talking to Xero's representative for you," he said evenly, like he was commenting about the weather. "It's all been settled."

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. _What? _So I flew here for nothing? And why the hell was I not informed? I should call Erika for this -

"Your phone was off. Your secretary couldn't contact you."

I opened my mouth again. "Because I was aboard a plane! Of course it's off!" I say exasperatedly, throwing my hands up in the air. "And we hit a turbulence and I was praying and everybody heard and I swear I _would never_ ride a plane again and -"

A warm hand covered my mouth before I even realized it.

I glared at Natsume as hard as I could and he calmly stared back.

"You talk to much," he said before he dropped his hand and pocketed it.

I suddenly realized how close we were to each other. I could smell him from where I was standing – he smelled the same. Still that soapy, sandalwood smell... and...

"You're... back," I said slowly, looking at him in the eye.

"Yes."

"For... good?"

"Yes."

I was suddenly torn between jumping for joy or punching him in the face.

"That's it? You're back? From the dead? From the no-call-no-nothing for the past three years?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

A vein popped on my head. WHY, OF ALL THE THINGS HE COULD HAVE SAID -

My breathing stopped the moment he leaned his head on my shoulder. Wh-what -

"I missed you."

And all my anger faded. Before I could answer him, he interrupts me by pressing his soft lips on mine. I've almost forgotten the immediate effect he had on me whenever he was around. I missed him. I did. I do. _So much_.

Natsume slowly pulled away. It was a gentle kiss. It was soft. It was...

"Polka-dots," he said so sofly, I almost didn't hear him.

"Y-yeah?" I asked, dazed.

…_loving_.

"Can you keep a secret?" I could feel his breath on my ear. He was so close -

"Y-yeah."

This is it. He's gonna propose! He's gonna propose! He's gonna propose!

…

…

…

"Your fly is open."

…

…

…

_That's it. I'm punching him_.

* * *

In the end, I didn't punch him. I threw myself _at _him and cried at his shoulder because I had missed him so much and I couldn't afford being angry with him then.

But now that I think back, I think I _should _have punched him.

And then nursed the punch and cried at his shoulder because I had missed him so much.

But anyway, it doesn't matter much now.

Because everything that happened in the past happened for a reason – I met him for a reason, I was his secretary for a reason, we pretended to be together for a reason, we loved each other for a reason.

The reason was that Natsume and I were meant to be together... no matter how rocky it had been on the way.

"Mikan! What are you still doing there! You have to put on your dress!"

Oops. That's my cue.

I'm Mikan Sakura (as if you didn't know that already), twenty-five years old. And today...

I look at my reflection in the mirror and smile. I almost don't recognize the person staring back at me, but I know who she is. I've known her all my life.

… today is my wedding day.

**FIN.**


	22. Author's Notes

**Author's Last Notes:**

**(Well, last notes for Can You Keep A Secret, not for forever soooo...)**

HI READER! I hope you didn't click that next button up there expecting another chapter.

Because as much as I'd hate to admit it, that chapter is the _last_ one.

(Well, the last one for Can You Keep A Secret, not for forever soooo...)

SO!

Let me take this opportunity to thank ALL OF YOU who read this story from the beginning to the end and I want to tell all of you guys that I LOVE YOU TO INFINITY AND BEYOND and thank you for this wonderful journey we've had for the past three years.

* * *

**Development as a writer**

Can You Keep A Secret has been my turning point as an author. During the time I was writing this, I developed how to portray emotions, events, etc. of different characters. One of my pride and glory is a CYKAS-related oneshot I published entitled Just a Little Bit longer.

Now you may or may not have read it yet, but it is my most favorite because it reminds me that for every point and every event in a person's life, there is always a second perspective. This one, being Natsume's.

**Aozora no kishi **said this in a review and I couldn't agree more with it:

"_Sometimes it's the unspoken words that hurt the most. The ones that are kept away hidden and unknown to others. The ones that influence and are behind your actions. Yeah, that kind. Because you never know when what you think is right soon turns out to be wrong."_

I've had many references for writing this fanfiction, including Sophie Kinsella's Can You Keep A Secret and The Hunger Games. Now, why the two of them? Well, S. Kinsella's book was my primary basis in writing the main plot line. (i.e. Mikan and Natsume meeting; Natsume being Mikan's boss) But, that is all. I have kept most of the events in the story original. The Hunger Games was my basis with the way I write. For those who have read it, it is also written in the first-person point of view and I learned a lot of things about the first-person by reading this book. Oh, and the Divergent trilogy too. Good books, the three of those.

I started CYKAS the way I've written Turn the Music Up – plain, slightly cliché – and I'm proud to say I've gotten over this and started writing with more detail and with more depth.

Reviews also made me develop as a writer. Your comments and suggestions are very much appreciated, as well as an occasional critique.

Have I received flames?

_Yes._

I've been called a hypocrite, a bitch, and a writer with no talent.

But I brushed all those away because I believe that there are people out there who believe in me and who believe in my ability and I love all those people.

I've made it this far, so I think I handled those flames well. (winks)

* * *

**Questions from readers**

1. **Sequel?**

_Sadly, no. _I've decided on _not _writing a sequel for this story because (a) It took me three whole years to finish this and there were many times that I wanted to just drop it and get on with my life, but decided against and if I write the sequel, I'll be writing something I no longer have interest in. Not saying I'm not interested in writing CYKAS anymore, but I want to move into heavier genres – angst, drama; those kinds of stuff; and (b) the sequel is not even _about _Natsume and Mikan and about two non-canon pairings from Gakuen Alice that also appeared in this story, so I don't know if y'all be interested in reading about them anyway. Not that I think they're not interesting. I do. That's why I thought about writing about them for a while.

2. **Why "Flame" why not "Hyuuga Corp." or something like that?**

_Because it's cliché. _Hyuuga Corporation – who the hell hasn't heard that before?

3. **Is Mikan a virgin? Because in the book, the girl isn't a virgin anymore.**

_Uhh, yes?_ I have no intention of writing about not characters being virgin. That would be... weird.

4. **Have you ever heard the song "Can You Keep a Secret" by Utada Hikaru?**

_No. _But I think I should.

5. **I'm confused. Aint that Yakako chick already his secretary? **

_No._ She's not. She's somewhere in the marketing department.

6. **W****hat's up with Koko? Is he doing something important here? **

_Well, he's a minor character._ He pops in once in a while, but _he doesn't really have anything to do with the plot_.

_7. _**Who was the tall guy with the blue and brown jacket that Mikan saw in Chapter 7? **

_Katsuya Takato_. He's been following her around since after Chapter 3.

8. **So is Nobara the first love of Natsume or something? **

_Yes. She was._ If you read Through Nobara's Eyes, you will see. I didn't think it would be too realistic if Mikan was Natsume's first love and Natsume was Mikan's. Thus, Mikan's first love was Takato.

9. **In Chapter 19, who said "Please take me back."?**

_It was Mikan_. She was asking Natsume if he could take her back to the hospital because she didn't feel like being with him at the moment.

10. **Are you going to write more Gakuen Alice fanfiction in the near future?**

_I seriously don't know_. I'm afraid I've lost most of my interest in Gakuen Alice and I'm currently fawning over Naruto and Sasuke and the Naruto characters so...

Well, I _did _plan on writing another Gakuen Alice fanfiction after this one, but, as I've said earlier, I've lost most of my interest so if I start it, there is no promising if I'll be able to finish it.

I've got about four Naruto fanfictions planned for now, after that, we'll see if I'll write Gakuen Alice again. So really, I'm very sorry to those of you who subscribed to me because I write GA FF, but I won't be writing for purely GA anymore.

* * *

**The Parting Words**

THANK YOU to my most loyal reviewers and friends! You have inspired me in many ways possible and it has been a wonderful experience, as a writer, to read about your thoughts, your reviews and your criticisms.

SOOOOOOO... to those of you who _have _read my Naruto fanfiction, "Walking on Broken Glass", which is a working progress, thank you! For those who haven't and are interested in reading it, feel free to check it in my profile.

Again, my dears, thank you for your continuous support in my endeavor and I hope to see you all soon in the near future!

For my updates, you can follow my twitter account ( aminatsu032) or follow me on tumblr (aminatsu032. tumblr. Com).

Love you all!

* * *

**Can You Keep a Secret?, a Gakuen Alice fanfiction by Aminatsu032**

**Completed on June 20, 2012**

**Copyright 2012**


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